Give and Take
by Doodle19
Summary: Hotch and Emily finally find themselves in a good place. Will a new case and its unforeseen consequences shake the very foundation they built? The team is in for quite a ride and a lot is changing for many members of the BAU family. Sometimes, life is unpredictable.
1. The End of One

_I do not own Criminal Minds, only the characters I have created in that world._

**GIVE AND TAKE**

This is the sequel to my other story Untold Truths. I'd recommend reading that first, but, who knows, maybe you'll be able to keep up without that story.

**Summary: **Hotch and Emily finally find themselves in a good place. Will a new case and its unforeseen consequences shake the very foundation they built? The team is in for quite a ride and a lot is changing for many members of the BAU family. Sometimes, life is unpredictable.

My writing mantra:

"Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them - in order that the reader may see what they are made of." - Kurt Vonnegut

**Chapter 1: The End of One**

**Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. – Lao Tzu**

Life couldn't be better. Or so they thought.

As far as they were concerned, things were pretty good. Aaron and Emily were still going strong. Once their families left after Labor Day and things were back to normal, including the dog, they got back into the school year swing of things. Cocoa, the chocolate lab that Emily tried desperately not to fall in love with, her stupid little fuzz ball, became as much a part of their family as any human.

"I hate you, you know?" Emily spoke to the dog who was cuddled up next to her in bed licking her. "Ok, you're right. I love you. And it helps that you're a good cuddler."

"Better than me?"

"Hmm…" She pretended to think about it. Of course the answer was no, but she had to tease a little. A girl needed some simple fun every now and again.

"Mommy!"

"I'm kidding. You're the best cuddler. But Cocoa's close, aren't you girl? You're definitely a good bed warmer. Yeah, you like my bed more than your own. Isn't that right?" The lab's tale was wagging rapidly.

"Cocoa can't talk back mommy."

"I know."

"I wish she could."

"Maybe I can." Emily made a voice and attempted to throw it, trying to be the dog.

"Cocoa?" Charlie's eyes were wide as she stared at the dog.

"That's me."

"I think mommy's being silly Cocoa." She spoke to the dog, though she knew it was her mother.

"Oh. No I think mommy's great."

"Mommy's awesome. But she's still a silly goose."

"But you love her anyway."

"I love her a whole lot." Charlie climbed into Emily's lap and snuggled with both of them.

"I love you too Charlie Bear."

While initially opposed to the dog, it wasn't because Emily didn't want her, just that she didn't know what kind of stability the dog would have and that was important in the initial training stages. Thankfully, Sarah didn't mind the added work and happily took on the responsibilities. It helped that Hotch turned the training into a game with the kids. He would come over every day and set up his little brigade, usually just Charlie and Cocoa under his command, but it was even better with Jack. His little soldiers in tow, he set up a doggie boot camp. Cocoa was a good dog, a new and loving friend for their family.

She had to admit, part of the whole dog thing scared her because it was their first joint decision. Well, decision wasn't the right word, the choice was made for her. But it was their first joint commitment. Emily could've vetoed it, but instead, they adopted a dog together, making their first couple "purchase." It was theirs, she was theirs, a part of their combined family.

Would she go with Charlie to his house on weekends or stay at the house and keep Emily company? They really needed to get a move on that living situation talk. They actually started to… But, like usual with them, something got in the way.

"So…" They finally had some alone time again, trying to make it a regular occurrence, and after people kept bringing it up, purposely or not, who knew, Emily decided to broach the topic. Hotch was thinking about it too, but she beat him to the punch. "Charlie brought up something interesting the other day…" Again. Their daughter had a knack for that.

"What's that?"

"Well, she asked about us… about you and… and the house."

"About your house?" He knew where the conversation was going, and though he did want to have that talk, he couldn't miss the chance to toy with her just a little. She seemed so nervous and she had no reason to be whatsoever.

"Yeah… well no."

"Which is it?" Maybe she was toying with him too, he surmised.

"Though she brought up you living here with us, she mentioned the house you went and looked at with them. I just… I was wondering if you were still looking. I mean, it's totally ok if you are… It's just… I thought… Charlie loved that house. She said she and Jack could have fun there. The rooms were big and it was pretty…"

"You're cute when you ramble." Emily blushed. "Charlie's right. It was a nice house, a really nice one. Jack loved it, she loved it… I did think about buying it…"

"But…?"

"But, there were reasons not to. I have other things to consider like…" moving in with you, making her home theirs… But he never got to finish the thought as his phone rang and interrupted them. "Sorry." He whispered to Emily, putting his cell phone to his ear, "Hotchner."

"Agent Hotchner, this is Section Chief Strauss. I know it's late, but I need you in my office as soon as possible."

"Right away ma'am," he said and hung up his phone.

"You have to go?" Emily asked in the most understanding way, though she was inwardly pouting.

"I do. I don't want to though." His tone was apology enough.

"I know." She was being honest. They had the same job. She got it.

"But I have to." He tried to rationalize. A part of him still felt the need to explain himself and rationalize the drive and need to work away. But Emily wasn't Haley.

"Hotch… I get it. I understand, I promise. Work calls, you go. So… Go. Call me later if you can. If not, I'll see you in the morning."

"I will do my best to call. Kiss Charlie goodnight for me if it gets too late."

"I will. Love you. Drive safe."

"I love you too." He kissed her.

Emily watched him go and sighed. It was happening again. Every time they had something to discuss or needed to go over something, something else came up. It wasn't an end all conversation. There really was no rush, but neither wanted to fall back into that rut again. Eventually, that pushing off turned into neglect which turned into avoidance. They didn't want to get there. Avoidance did nothing but cause them issues.

Well, until he returned to her house or they saw each other again, Emily had something else to focus on, like her family. Their kids were both so amazing. There was one thing about the school year that she loved and that was seeing the kids come home and talk all about whatever they learned that day with such glee.

Jack was flourishing in school. Every time they saw each other, he filled Emily and his dad in on everything. Just a few weeks in and his grades were great. He even brought home a new friend, a girl. Apparently, cooties were a thing of the past. "If I have to give him a more detailed sex talk before he's even in middle school, I give you and Haley permission to shoot me," Hotch said when he was telling Emily of this new revelation.

"I'll be sure to let her know." Emily joked and threw a pillow at him. Ah the good times. The kids were growing up so fast.

Charlie, no surprise, was doing well in school too. It was a harder year for her, Henry no longer in her class. And, while she was good at making friends, she just couldn't seem to click with anyone in her new class. Being a little younger than most of them was effecting her for the first time. It made Emily question her decision. She was a year younger than everyone in her grade. Emily didn't think it would be a problem when she made the choice to enroll her in school early. The opportunity just presented itself. There was an opening at Penbrook Academy, a school she knew of and was looking into already when she heard great things about from JJ. Charlie was advanced, Emily taking the time to teach her to read and start writing early. Her little girl's mind was just so curious, always searching for answers. When she started asking how mommy could read and make words on paper, Emily knew Charlie wouldn't stop until she knew how to do it too.

And Emily was right. So, by four, she was reading and writing, even dabbling in other languages. She inherited her mother's gift of linguistics and both her parents' brains. But maybe, Emily thought, she was a bit too much like her, and that was why she wasn't making any friends that year. Maybe she pushed her too hard to excel. Maybe she should've just let her stay in preschool with all the other kids. But then… Then would things have played out the way they did? It was because Charlie was in a class with Henry that the events happened. It was what set everything into place. It was a scale she couldn't quite figure out, a game of give and take.

It was too much to think about. She liked the way things were, minus her sad little girl. But she would give up all her happiness to make it so Charlie experienced no pain at all. "Too much thinking Emily!" She berated herself. It was just hard not to. When she got a call from school, the issue became clear.

They were in the middle of the work day, going over some files when she got the call. "Princess, that your phone?" Morgan asked. She was grabbing a cup of coffee and didn't hear it go off on her desk.

"Crap." She ran over grabbing the phone. Seeing who it was, she picked it up right away. "Prentiss."

"Hello Ms. Prentiss, this is Nurse Shelley from Penbrook Academy."

The words sent a pang of fear through her. "Oh god… Is Charlotte ok? What happened?"

"She's fine. She came into my office about an hour ago complaining of a stomach ache. There's no fever and she seems to be otherwise fine, but she refuses to go back to class. I'd like to know how you wish to proceed. I could give her some medicine and send her back to class or someone can come pick her up."

"Are you sure nothing's wrong with her?"

"Yes, she's fine."

"Can I talk to her?"

"Sure." Emily could hear movement and then the hushed speaking. "Charlotte, your mom would like to speak with you."

"Mommy?"

"Hi Charlie Bear. What's wrong baby?"

"I want to come home."

"Why? Are you not feeling well?"

"My tummy hurts. Like before, when I went to the hospital." That was Emily's first real clue. Whatever was bothering her child, it wasn't her stomach.

"Ok, Charlie Bear. Hang in there ok? Mommy's coming. Give the phone back to Nurse Shelley."

"Ms. Prentiss."

"I think… I think I'm going to come get her anyway, just to be safe."

"Alright. I'll have her stuff brought over from class and we'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you."

After that, everyone was full of questions. "What's wrong?"

"Morgan said the school called?"

"Is Charlie ok?"

"She's fine. She says her stomach hurts and she went to the nurse, who assured me that Charlie is ok."

"Oh good." They all nodded along. It was always good news when things were ok.

"I should tell the mean old boss and see if he'll let me out."

"I'm pretty sure you should kick his ass if he doesn't." Rossi winked. He was always on their side. No one doubted that, but more so, he was on the kids' side. Whatever went on with the adults, he would step in and make them see reason if their actions were effecting the children.

"I will definitely do that. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Em, call me later ok?"

"I will Jayje." Emily walked up to Aaron's office, knocking gently on the door.

"Come in."

"Agent Hotchner." She greeted professionally. He was in a meeting. "May I have a word please sir?"

"Of course. Would you excuse me a moment?" He asked his guest. Receiving the affirmative, Hotch stepped out onto the walkway. "What's going on? Everything ok?"

"I got a call from Charlie's school. She's ok." Emily was quick to add. "But I'm going to pick her up."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. Sometimes when she freaks out or is sad, she says she has a stomach ache. And today she went to the nurse and said her tummy hurt like when she was in the hospital."

"For her appendix?"

"Yeah, so I think she's just having a rough day and I want to go pick her up."

"Yeah, go. Go, and I'll be there as soon as I finish with my meeting. But call me if anything comes up."

"I will."

When Emily went to pick Charlie up, her heart was struck with the stab of a knife. Not literally of course, but it sure felt like it. Her little Charlie Bear looked so damn sad. "Mommy!" The little girl ran to her upon first sight.

"What's wrong Charlie Bear?"

"I want to go home."

"We're going." Picking Charlie up into her arms and hugging her tight she took the backpack from the nurse and threw it over her shoulder. "Thank you Nurse Shelley."

"You've got a good kid on your hands. Take care of her."

"I will. Thanks again." Leaving, she just held Charlie close. She could feel the wet tears absorbing in her shirt. "Charlie, baby, what's wrong?" She finally asked as they got into the car. Emily sat in the back seat, Charlie still on her lap.

"They're so mean mommy!" She cried, officially breaking Emily's heart completely.

Gently swiping under Charlie's eyes, Emily asked, "Who's mean?"

"Everyone." She sniffled. "Everyone's mean to me because I'm littler and they're ogres."

Emily wanted to laugh. Ogres; that was such a Charlie thing to say, too may fairytales. "It's ok, mommy's got you." She pulled Charlie closer. "You're ok." Once Charlie calmed again, Emily knew it was time to get home.

Settling down for the rest of the day with cookies and ice cream, Emily tried to get Charlie to talk. "Can you tell me what the kids did to make you so sad?"

"I miss Henry mommy." She said quietly.

"Honey, we saw Henry yesterday. He came over to play with you."

"But he's not in my class. I don't get to be with him every day. He's my best friend. I don't get to see him or Jack and… and everyone's mean because I don't have any other friends."

"Yes you do. You have plenty of friends."

"No."

"Yes. Oh Charlie, baby, you have so many friends. Maybe they're not as good of friends as Henry, but a ton of people like you."

"But no one in my class."

"What did they do Charlie?"

"They wouldn't let me play the game."

"Why not?"

"They said I was too little and they didn't want me to. But I'm good mommy! I always win. I played them before!" Maybe the winning was the problem… "I just wanted to play mommy. And they said no. Henry wouldn't say no."

Emily was sure there was more to the story. Fact was, this year she was put into a class with a lot of students she never had class with. It was new to her and she didn't have her buffer. Her best friend and one of her biggest comforts during the hard year they went through was taken from her. She didn't want more change and the people in her class weren't making it any easier for her.

Charlie was usually so self-assured and confident. She didn't let what people said bother her. And why would she? She was five. It was all supposed to roll off. Of course, some things stuck and came out when something else triggered it, but this was bad. She was so sad and Emily wasn't sure how to handle it. It was grade school! Kids weren't supposed to turn into bullies that young. Why wasn't Charlie defending herself? She once pushed a kid down who was picking on Henry, but she wasn't doing anything for herself.

"Come on baby, let's get you ready for your bath."

"Can I sleep in your room tonight mommy?"

"Of course."

After the bath, Charlie snuggling next to her, Emily finally returned Hotch's call. "Hey."

"Hey."

"How are things? How's Charlie?"

"She'll be ok. She's just having a difficult day."

"And you? Are you ok? You sound upset."

"I am, but I can't talk about it now. I'll fill you in when I see you."

"Ok. Can I talk to her?"

"Of course. Will I see you tonight?"

"I wish. But it looks like it's going to be a long night. I have to finish these reports by the morning. I wish I was there with the two of you though."

"Me too. I love you. See you tomorrow."

"Love you too." Emily handled the phone to Charlie. Talking to him seemed to do her some good. It didn't help Emily though. She still felt horrible. She didn't even notice her little girl was having such a hard time. She wondered what else she missed. What else was her fault?

Charlie asleep, Emily went downstairs to her office for a little space to try and work out what she could do for Charlie. Knowing Aaron was still at work and not wanting him to feel like he had to rush over to her to be there for them, she decided to call JJ. It wasn't an emergency. She didn't want Aaron to think it was.

"Hey Em. How's Charlie?"

"She's… God Jayje, am I a horrible mom?"

"What? No. What's going on?"

"How did I not see it?"

"See what?"

"I think she's being bullied. I mean, I don't think it's terrible, like they're not going to be filling a bucket with blood to pour on her at prom, but school used to be fun for her. Now she says she has no friends and no one will play with her."

"What happened?"

"I guess the other kids don't like that she's younger than them and could beat them at some of the games. I don't remember age being such an issue, especially not that young."

"Me either."

"She says she misses Henry. With him in her class, she always had someone. Maybe this was happening all along but it didn't bother her because her best friend was there."

"Why don't you switch her class?"

"I thought about it. I don't know… I want to, but at the same time, I don't want to teach her to run away from her problems like I seem to. I don't want her to suffer either."

"I don't think it would be teaching her to run away. It teaches her that by telling you, you're able to help her and resolve the problem. I know Henry would love it and he would look out for her."

"I know he would. I just don't know how I missed this. Was I wrong to enroll her early?"

"I don't think there was a right or wrong decision. Each one had its pros and cons. You made the choice you thought was best. And you said it yourself, she loves school. So she's having a tough time, but it has also been a rough year. Maybe now that things have really calmed down, the adrenaline's all gone and it's really all coming at her at once."

"Maybe you're right. I'm going to talk it over with Aaron, but we'll look into changing her class. I know she loves school and I know she can handle herself… But I think you're right. She had to deal with more than most kids her age have and now that there's nothing particularly life changing going on, she's reacting to the little things. I mean, Henry in her class was a staple. It was a constant. They had each other to rely on and when the older kids picked on them they stood up for each other. Now she doesn't have that. I think switching her class could solve that for now and I can work on making her feel better about everything else."

"Sounds like you didn't really need to talk to me after all."

"I always need to talk to my best friend."

"Me too."

"I should let you go. Thanks Jayje. Night."

"Any time Em. Goodnight."

After talking it over with Hotch, Emily did work on getting Charlie into Henry's class. Both kids were excited and, because it was only a few weeks into school and both classes were doing the same things, there were no problems moving her. There were still a few incidents after that. But, when Charlie got bullied again, not only did she have her best friend by her side (and he had her too) but she remembered both her mother's comforting words and her big brother's advice.

"Just be nice to them. You can invite them over like I did. You can show them your cool toys and how much fun you are and then they'll like you forever."

"But I don't want them to come over and be mean to me. Mommy will yell at them."

"They won't."

"But what if they still don't like me?"

"Charlie, how can they not like you? You're the best."

Hotch and Emily watched the exchange. "We have great kids."

"We really do."

The time just moved so quickly after that. Emily wasn't surprised when Charlie listened to Jack and invited her bully over. She took to monitoring the situation more closely, talking with Charlie's teachers and having them look out for any developments and keep her informed. So, when Charlie asked if her friend Lacey could come over, she should've been a little more weary knowing from Mrs. Mink that was one of the class' troublemakers, but her daughter was her daughter and things like that were just her style.

Lacey came over. They had a playdate with Henry there too as Emily and JJ chaperoned. It actually worked out. Lacey left thinking Charlie was the funnest, bestest (her words) person ever and even invited the two kids to her house one day. It was a success. And things at school really started to get better after that.

Life was good. Things were looking up. With each day, they all just became more settled in their lives. The team moved passed all the relationship drama and worked completely in sync, like the well-oiled machine they were. They were on a case winning streak, two kidnappings, a serial rapist, an arsonist and a copycat all captured without incidence. Of course, that was about to change.

The storm on the last case should've been taken as an omen. They got called away on Emily's birthday. The team gathered at a local restaurant, opting for a quiet get together, just a nice meal and a few drinks after work. Hotch had a romantic private party planned for just the two of them after, and he and Charlie had a little breakfast celebration that morning. So it was all set. Birthdays weren't a big thing for the adults, but that seemed to be what they did for most, simple get-togethers. They did it for JJ earlier in September and each of the other members that allowed them to celebrate their birthdays. Of course, Morgan usually went home to Chicago or his family came to him, so they rarely got to get together. And with Reid, they usually ended up on a case or just coming home from one, so his tradition was cake in the office. Rossi just pretended he never aged. They each had their things, but after their next case, each birthday was going to seem like a whole lot more to celebrate.

They were called away just as they were about to start desert. "I've got the bill." Rossi offered and went to hunt down their waiter for the check as the rest of the group, save for Hotch and Emily went to the parking lot.

"What kind of birthday is this? I'm not even going to get cake!" Emily pretended to pout.

"You'll get over it."

"Only if you promise to make it up to me later."

Hotch kissed her. "And how would I do that?"

"I could think of a few ways. Something that involves chocolate… Yeah… and whipped cream."

Seeing him uncomfortably wiggle, knowing her words sent a certain tingle through him, Emily smiled in excitement. "You did that on purpose."

"I did."

Nearly growling, he said, "I'm still your boss Emily."

"In that case…" She leaned in as if to kiss him, instead, stopping her cheek pressed against his and mouth near his ear. "You can spank me later." She winked and went to meet everyone in the car. He took a second before following her out.

"Damn her." He hissed under his breath, carrying the doggy bag she left behind.

Hopping in their separate cars, JJ and Will with Hotch and Emily, everyone else in Morgan's SUV, they made their way to the Bureau. Will took off from their leaving the gang to get to work. They had to fly out to Nevada for a serial killer who liked to beat his victims to death.

They arrived in Nevada the next morning with, what they thought was, a head start. Looking over the case files and all the LEOs had on the crimes, they had a pretty decent preliminary profile on hand. Their perp was in his early thirties, probably unemployed and presumably in very good shape. They pegged him as white male, likely from one of three lower class areas of town.

Given the kill sites, they determined it was closer to the trailer park area right next to the desert campground. And with Garcia's help they were able to get it down to a name and address. Gearing up, they planned to take down their guy later that night. "Keep your eyes open and be ready. This guy doesn't just look physically imposing, he is. We believe he has training in martial arts or some kind of hand to hand combat. If you can avoid engaging in close quarters, do."

Speech delivered, vests on, they loaded into the SUVs and drove into the sandy plains. Preparing to break down the door to the small home, an agent caught sight of movement on the side of the house. "That's him."

"Jesse Matlin, FBI." It was no deterrent, and they knew it. He wasn't going to stop, instead, running straight into the maze of sand dunes and cactus trees as soon as he heard them.

Of course, as they were running through the desert going up and down the hills, out of nowhere, it started raining. It was raining in an area that got maybe a few inches a year total, as they were closing in on their UnSub. "Chang, take your team and search the house. Rossi take JJ and head west, Reid with me, and Prentiss, go with Morgan north."

Taking direction, they separated. The LEOs found someone in the shed of a Matlin home, his mother, they determined, frail and dying, and called for an ambulance as the team continues to chase their man. They were running, Morgan and Prentiss catching him on their end, hot on his trail, calling out for him, and pleading with him to stop. They knew he wasn't going to stop unless they captured him. He was sure he could take them, and he was probably right, but what they knew was that he was going to try, no matter what.

As they got closer, Morgan signaled for them to break apart and go around the last dune from opposite sides. The running stopped, no longer hearing footsteps. Matlin had to be hiding there. Giving him the confirmatory nod, they slowly made the approach. They were in control, but the rain worked against them, making the loose sand harder to walk on. Guns drawn, the two thought they had him cornered. "There's nowhere to go Matlin."

"Drop the weapon. Hands on your head."

The man just smiled at them. He didn't plan on being taken in at all. If he was going down, he was determined to take them with him. Emily made a step to get solid footing in case she needed to take the shot, and when she did, the soaking ground caused her to slide. The distraction had Matlin looking to her, ready and willing to charge, but it also gave Morgan time to make his attack.

Matlin's eyes focused on Emily, Morgan put his old football skills to use and rushed him, tackling him to the ground. Emily made her way over, but the two were too close together for her to take a shot or do much else without the threat of bodily harm or putting Morgan in a more vulnerable position. It looked for a moment that Morgan was going to come out victorious. He had Matlin pinned to the ground and called her over so Emily could come in with the cuffs to make it final.

As she made her way the last few steps, there was a shift in the air. Matlin, in a sudden surge, pushed Morgan right off of him and into Emily, knocking them both to the ground. Back up was already called, but they still needed to regain control. Unfortunately, odds weren't in their favor. Morgan's gun was on the ground, knocked from his hand in the fight and Emily put hers away in order to get the cuffs when they had him covered. With Morgan's weight pressed on her, she couldn't get to it.

The UnSub, decided to change it up a little, went for Morgan's gun, slipping it into the back of his jeans as he once again went after them. They were working their way up from the ground when he made his move. He got Morgan off of Emily, sending him down to the bottom of the small hill. Emily was ready, in fighting stance as he took the first swing. She ducked, making a mental plan to just dodge his hits and, when the opportunity came, to knock him down, hoping that would be enough to get him cuffed and taken in.

Another wild swing on his part, and Emily saw her chance, kicking him and sending him down toward Morgan. The team was just a few seconds away at that point, and it looked like control was back in their hands. Morgan, was about to turn him over onto his stomach when the UnSub took the chance to pull the gun.

"Morgan!" Emily yelled, drawing her own gun.

But she was too late. Two consecutive shots were fired from her partner's gun before she could make the kill shot, a bullet right through Matlin's head. Jumping down the hill, she ran to her partner. "Morgan? Morgan, are you ok?" She asked, kicking the gun away from Matlin before searching Morgan for any wounds. There wasn't any blood. That was a good sign. "Are you hit? Talk to me."

"Vest." He coughed.

"I'm going to help you take it off." Emily pulled at the Velcro as the rest of the team surrounded them, Hotch making the call for the paramedics to come on up anyway. "Deep breath." Emily instructed. "You're alright. The paramedics are going to come and check you over."

"I'm good. Help me up."

"No, stay down. Let them check you over."

He shook his head and she pushed him back down. "Matlin?"

"Dead, took one to the head."

"Nice shot."

"Don't say that. I'm sorry… I… It wasn't…"

"You did nothing wrong. You got him. It was a good shot. And you made it, no visibility and all."

"Not soon enough. He still managed to get you."

"With my own gun." A double sting.

"We're just lucky he had bad aim. I don't even think he got your ribs."

"Lucky me. Still hurts like a bitch."

"Well, these nice people here are going to look at you and if you're really nice, maybe they'll give you the good drugs." JJ added.

The paramedics were directed to them by JJ. They determined he was bruised and they would take him to the hospital just to rule out internal bleeding, but he looked good. After a few hours of observation, he was even free to go. Nothing was wrong. It was a successful trip after all. They got their guy, but it definitely ended their injury free run.

The storm was a sign… the quick and dramatic turn in the weather and events were signs. They had nothing but signs. Their streak was over. But no one wanted to read more into it, not when things were good. Morgan was ok, just a little bruised. All was ok…

Since the end of summer, they were all given several family and friends filled, perfect days without being called away on a case and they were lucky after that, most of their cases only taking a few days at most. But that was all over sooner than they wished. Just as Emily's birthday came and went, with it went their lives as they knew them. Their worlds were all altered. Each day was a blessing and they were about to understand that on a whole new level.

Things would change drastically for all of them and they wouldn't see it coming. They wouldn't anticipate anything. But sometimes, the harder you try to keep things safe, the easier they are to lose. And this would be one battle that would have no happy ending. The evils they thought couldn't touch them, thought to live at arms' length, would prove just how close they could get.

One minute they were celebrating, and then it was over. In the blink of an eye, the time it takes for a bullet to hit its mark, someone who was standing right there, breathing, talking, tangible, dies, gone forever. Dead… nothing but a memory…

That was how they found themselves there, standing over a six foot hole in the ground, holding a white rose in their hands, a sea of marble stone all around, and one member of the team short. An eerie silence filled the cold open air as the people stood in uniform black colors.

The priest gave his sermon over consecrated ground. "Today we celebrate the life of the lord's child as she returns to be with the almighty father…" All in attendance listened solemnly to the words, hanging on to each one.

How would they all pull through it?

How could it all start with four simple words? "We've got a case."

**So, there we go. The first chapter of the sequel. We know someone dies =o and I know it's a bit scattered. It's supposed to be. It's a set up for the rest of the story. It was to bring everyone up to speed on the lapsed time and next chapter jumps to the moment the drama begins. **

**Dunn, dun, dun… lol**

**Sorry for any grammatical errors. Thank you everyone who has added this story to alerts or favorites and to those of you who have given feedback. Opinions are much appreciated; feedback, input, whatever. Constructive criticism also welcomed. I hope you enjoy. Until next time…**


	2. Challenging Cases

_I do not own Criminal Minds, only the characters I have created in that world._

**Don't forget to nominate and then vote for the 2014 Profiler's Choice Awards. Ballots are due the 31****st**** I believe (but I'd check on that). Once I decide which stories are my favorites, I'll be sure to make my nominations. **

**Keep in mind as you're reading that I love a happy ending (a realistic happy ending) and I love these characters (all of them). So I have a plan. Have a little faith. Now, on to the story… **

**Chapter 2: Challenging Cases**

"We've got a case." Hotch stormed into the office that morning, pulling everyone's attention. When cases went straight to him, they all knew they were bad. The look on his face spoke volumes. "I don't want to waste any time with this one. Conference room now."

"Must be a bad one." Reid whispered as the group stood to make their way to the room.

"He got the call to come in early this morning." Emily informed them as they went through the door. Garcia was already in there gearing and ready to go.

They took their seats as Garcia handed them their files, paper for Reid, electronic for everyone else. "Are these…?"

"Us… Yes." She answered, referring to the pictures on the screens.

"What's the Bureau doing agent surveillance now?" Morgan scoffed.

"No…" Hotch said, taking a deep breath before adding, "Garcia, pull them up on the screen. Keep going through them."

All their eyes turned to the big screen, but Emily had to take a moment to look at Hotch. The frown on his face looked engrained even deeper, his body slightly hunched and posture broken. He didn't look like her happy boyfriend or their by-the-book boss. He just looked, well, he looked like he was aged with stress. Turning back to the screen, she understood why.

Garcia slowly scrolled through the photos with them, staying on each one long enough for them to get the whole picture. Each of the images showed them coming and going from work or the local café they tended to frequent for lunch, images of their kids being picked up from school… Someone had been watching them, observing their routines. This time, their built in paranoia and feeling that the bad guys were watching wasn't just a feeling. It was real. Emily, usually in tuned and honed to listen to that feeling found she had been too distracted by her happiness in her family and love relationships that she neglected that feeling. And someone had followed her and her family. Someone was watching them all.

"Pull up the other file." Hotch directed, his voice hard and monotone.

"There's another file?"

"Yeah. A package was delivered here last night. It cleared security and was sent to my office."

"It was addressed to you?"

"Yes. Garcia, show them." The last of the photos came up. "They were sent in this order."

The screen showed all four of the pictures, each one of the team together, out for Emily's birthday. The photos looked like they were taken from different angles all within the same five or ten minute timeframe. They remembered that moment, all smiling and laughing as Rossi joked about Emily joining the rest of them over the hill. "Watch out JJ, you're going to be next," he teased. All of them looked so innocent, so happy and carefree for once. And little did they know, danger was lurking waiting to pounce on their happiness.

"Who will you lose?" Emily read aloud.

"It's directed to you Hotch. It was addressed to you, your face is circled."

"I know…" He looked down, unable to express his indiscernible feelings. There was so much going on in his head, it was hard to tell which feeling was which. He just knew he was being singled out, and, because of that, his team, the people in his life he loved and cared about most, were targets too. It hadn't even been a year since the Doyle incident and they were in trouble again. Sure, the team faced danger every time they left the office, but it was different when they were on the receiving end, the hunted rather than the hunters. They were all in stable places and he was terrified this, whatever it turned out to be, had the potential to throw them all off track again. It was one thing to deal with the aftermath of someone else's crime scene; it was another to be at the heart of one. Someone was after him, all of them, and why? What caused the UnSub's fixation? Despite popular theory, it wasn't common practice for the criminal mind to target law enforcement as a primary target of their obsession, not like this. Sure, it happened from time to time, but more often than not, the original fixation was on someone else and the officers or agents became a part of the game along the way. This case didn't fit that. It was too specific, too targeted to be anything but the direct threat it was. They were under attack.

"Who would want to do this?"

"Don't tell us you're about to pull an Emily. We can't have another Doyle situation here." The team could feel the tension building, the looming threat hitting them hard already. All any of them could see was what the last year put them through and what this had the possibility to putting them through again. Who would they come close to losing this time?

Emily shied away from the words, feeling herself retreat within a little. "I think what Morgan meant was, do we know anything about who sent this?"

"No," he answered. "My past is pretty open, we all know I started as a prosecutor. That tends to make some enemies. And this work doesn't make us many friends either."

"That's the truth if I've ever heard it." Rossi added. "So what's the plan here?"

"Inside the envelope with the pictures was a letter."

"What did it say?"

Looking only at Emily when he answered, terrified the taunting was bringing memories of Doyle up and that she'd retreat within herself, he told them, "It said, 'Who's first? Be ready.' I sent it straight to the lab to be processed, hoping for a print. The pictures should have been sent to Garcia for us to analyze the writing and the forensics should be here soon." He wanted his people to be able to look at it right away, so they could get ahead of their guy, but Strauss had him stuck in her office coming up with a game plan and listening to the proper ways to deal with the situation and how easily she could and will take the case away should he seem to lose control of it. "Reid, as soon as we get it, there's some sort of code on it I want you to take a look at."

"Ok. Any idea what kind of code?"

"Numbers, letters… I don't know. That's why I need your brain on it." He ran his hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh. It was only eight in the morning and he was already wishing the day was over. "I don't think there will be any prints on anything, but until the rest of the forensics comes back, let's try to get a jump start on this. JJ since you were in charge of coordinating cases when you were liaison, take Morgan and go over the files. Narrow down any cases where the UnSub may have a grudge with me specifically, but be sure to include any that stick out because they might have an issue with the team as a whole." He turns to face Emily and Rossi. "Since you are the newest members of our team and don't have a working knowledge of the cases before you were here, I want you both to look at my cases from my time in the prosecutor's office. Look for people I've put away that have recently gotten out and look at victim's families where I didn't get a conviction. I want everyone to pay attention to cases where someone was lost. That seems to be something this UnSub is focusing on."

"Like an 'eye for an eye' type ideology," Reid added.

"Exactly. I need everyone's full attention on this. Flannigan's team is taking over our consults and any new cases are going to Cooper's team. Now, I'm needed back in Strauss' office. The Director is waiting for me. If you find anything or something comes up, let me know right away. Because it's clear this UnSub has been keeping tabs on all of us, I'm working on arranging a security detail for anyone that wants it, especially for the kids. We don't know this guy's end game. I want us all to be vigilant." With that, he walked out and left everyone to get straight to work.

"I guess we have a lot to do today." JJ made an attempt to lighten the mood, but no one was feeling it, Emily least of all, but she appreciated the effort. On her way out of the room, Rossi right behind her, Emily made sure to give her friend a kind, partial smile and a shoulder squeeze, just to let her know they'd be ok. She hoped that was true.

Rossi and Emily went to his office to work on their files. Garcia set it up so they had as much information as she could get through cyberspace as well as some paper files they were able to get ahold of right away. The rest were on their way over. "Where should we start?" There were hundreds of files to go through, some that Aaron prosecuted and some that he worked on with other lawyers.

"I'll take half and you take the other half. We'll meet somewhere in the middle."

"Works for me." Emily started shuffling through the files, sighing occasionally.

"Something on your mind?"

"He sure had a lot of cases."

"He did. Most lawyers do. He was at it for a couple of years."

"I know…"

"Want to tell me what's really on your mind?"

Huffing, she closed the folder she was looking at and turned to face Rossi. "Things were good you know?"

"Between the two of you?"

"For all of us… Reid actually went on a date last week. Our little genius is all grown up and trying to find his match. And things between Will and JJ seem solid. They're discussing marriage and more kids, a future. We're all looking at the future. You're dating Strauss… I'm not sure that's a good thing, but hey you seem happy enough. She's a bit of a bitch if you ask me, but maybe some Lothario love will liven up her decrepit soul."

"Emily…" He couldn't stop his smile. Profilers pick up on things and he thought he was stealthy. Apparently, not enough, but he had to love how she basically described them as the playboy and the witch.

"Garcia and Kevin are talking about getting a place together. JJ and I are supposed to go house hunting with her next month when we have downtime for Thanksgiving. She's excited about it. I'm excited for her. And Morgan, well, Morgan's not quite ready to settle, but he's down to one night out on the town and he actually saw the same woman twice."

"What about you and Aaron? You both seem happy in your relationship."

"We are. We talked about moving in, about our future… Well we partially talked about him moving in with Charlie and me. We got interrupted. But we're in a good place too. And that's my point. We're all settled, content right where we are… And something comes along to ruin it. I don't want this to end badly. After… After my past came back to bite us all in the ass… Things are finally good. I've never felt so… so in the right pace and so perfectly stagnant… I'm terrified what this could do to all of us."

"We'll handle it."

"I know we will, but _**can**_ we?"

"We're more than capable Emily. Look, will it be easy, no. It never is when we're threatened directly. It's different than the regular front line attacks. Those aren't personal. And this one is, just like Doyle was. Just look at that. As hard as it was, as incredibly hard as it was to see you in pain and hurt and then going through the aftermath… You came out stronger. We all did. No matter what happens, we'll find our way in the end."

"I sure hope so." Emily whispered, offering him a slight smile before getting back to work. "I guess these aren't going to profile themselves."

"That would be nice though. We could sit back and enjoy some wine while the work does itself."

"Oh I don't know Rossi. If files could profile themselves, I think they'd fire us."

"A guy can dream Emily. Don't ruin in." He lifted his imaginary wine glass, tipped it as if to clink, and leaned back into his chair. "We'll all get through this." He reminded her once more.

Thing was, they were all having those same feelings and doubts. As much as the last year effected Emily, physically and mentally, it messed with them too. It reminded them how fragile their lives were, how easily they could be lost. But faith was restored when Emily healed. Better, she came back to work. They moved on, forgetting that near death, desperate feeling just enough to suppress it and move on. It wasn't something anyone could hold onto. Living life that way sent a person on one of two paths, living life with a sense of reckless abandon or so afraid a person was practically agoraphobic. Neither had the balance they needed and craved. So they pushed a lot of the bad out of their minds and focused on the good.

No, it wasn't that easy. It took work and time because there were still issues there. But they managed, somehow. And there they were again, about to go through it from a different angle. This time, while the threat was made to Hotch, it was a threat on all of them. The end game was different. Their unit chief was the stressor, and they were all collateral damage, pawns to be used to hit and weaken the target. That was to be Hotch's torture, how the UnSub would break him down, one team member or loved one at a time. So maybe it wasn't so different…

"Look how many people we took down."

"We kicked criminal ass. It's a hard job, but somebody's got to do it." JJ smirked remembering one of the first girls' night memories.

"Why are you smiling like that? I'm talking murders and rapists and you've got a Cheshire cat grin going on."

"Just… memories."

"You have good memories of an UnSub?" His eyebrow raised. This he wanted to hear.

"I have good memories or Emily and Brad."

"A three way?!" His heart stopped. How did he not hear about that before?! "I think I need details."

"Ugh, Morgan." She threw pen cap at him. "Get your mind out of the gutter and focus on the criminal ass, not BAU booty."

"Oh, so that's what we're calling it now. BAU booty… Will gets it, Kevin, hell, even Hotch, but Morgan here ain't getting' none."

"Behave Hot Stuff." Garcia interjected after watching the entire exchange in silence. "As adorable as this banter is and, oh how I wish we could make it a party, I'd rather not end this case with one of us in the hospital or anyone going missing this time."

"Alright Baby Girl. We'll get back to work."

"Good boy."

By the end of the day, they were all exhausted. There was no crime scene, nothing to really profile but a letter and an onslaught of past cases. Still, it felt like more work than being on the front line.

And it wasn't fun for Hotch either. He wasn't part of any of it. He knew he couldn't be completely objective when it came to profiling the cases. That was why he left that to the rest of the team. That, and because the meeting he was forced to attend. He wanted to be a part of the search and narrowing down the suspect pool. He wondered if they even had a pool. Instead of helping them, he was dealing with bureaucratic bullshit. After Doyle, they wanted to have a handle on the situation, to be appraised of all details, big and small. The only good thing that came from the meeting was the extra security. Each agent was to be offered a detail. Because they weren't sure if the kids were targets or not and they couldn't protect themselves, Charlie, Henry, and Jack were to be guarded at any time. Since Haley was Jack's primary caregiver, he had to fill her in too before even attempting to meet with the team.

"What do you mean we're in danger Aaron? How bad? What kind of danger?"

"I know this is a lot to take in Haley. But I need you to understand that we're not sure yet how credible this threat is and what kind of danger we're in. We just know that a threat has been made and we have to take it seriously." He played it down. Forensics showed the code Reid was studying was written in blood. It was being run through the databases to see if there were any matches. "Right now, we're just trying our best to cover our bases and keep everyone safe. I need you to accept the guard for you and Jack. I can't focus on catching whoever this is or resolving this if I don't know that you're both safe."

"Will we be? Safe?"

"I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure all of us are."

"And what about you?"

"Don't worry about me."

"I'm going to worry Aaron, about all of you." As odd as it seemed to anyone outside of their dysfunctional function of a life, Emily and Haley actually started becoming friends. Jack and Haley would come over or Charlie and Emily would go to their house. Emily even invited her to join them for a girls' night or two. No one would call them best friends, but she was becoming more a part of all their worlds. She was all of their friend, something she wasn't really when she was married to Hotch. But it seemed natural and effortless when it was Emily. "And what about Emily and Charlie?"

"I haven't talked to her yet Haley. We've been pretty busy. But they'll be safe too. I'll take care of all of us."

"I won't fight you Aaron. If you believe we're in trouble then we'll take the guard and I'll keep my eyes open for any danger. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself too. No unnecessary risks. You have two kids now who love you and rely on you. You have a woman who understands you. So I need you to promise."

"I promise Haley. I don't want to lose what I have either."

"I'm glad to hear it, and I'm sure Emily will be too." That seemed like a good place to leave the conversation. He told her he hand-picked the children's guards and Agent Gregory would be meeting her and Jack that night. She was informed of the security protocol, and then he went back to work.

"Reid, any luck on the code?"

"I'm still working on it. I have it down to a few possibilities, but without any knowledge of the creator, it's nearly impossible to narrow down further."

"Ok, keep on it. What about the rest of you? Got anything?"

"Rossi and I came up with a good ten or so cases that have definite potential grudges against you."

"That's a manageable number." He was optimistic they'd have a good start by the time the meeting was done.

"And 30 or so others that could have a grudge against you… Truth is, most of these guys," and yes, they profiled it was a guy, "could want you to suffer. The ten we picked are the only ones that met the other criteria."

"Alright. Garcia, can you start getting all the info you can on the ten and we'll start there."

"Right away sir."

"What about you two? Find anything?"

"I never realized how many cases we actually handle," JJ said.

"I know."

"We narrowed it down to this pile." Morgan pushed forward a stack of 30 or so files. "Based on what we have to go on, these are the best candidates."

"Garcia, can you add this to your list."

"Can do."

"Get rid of any names of deceased or still in jail."

"Ok," Garcia nodded.

"While she's working on that, we need to discuss our security."

"I don't want someone following me around Hotch." Morgan was quick to declare. "I'm an armed and trained federal agent. I don't need a tail."

"That's your prerogative. It's optional for us, but I'm not taking no for the children. JJ, I sent Nevis to watch over Henry. I'm sure you've apprised Will of the situation. Make sure he knows Agent Nevis is a friendly."

"I'll call him right away."

"And Emily, I put Agent Tegan on you and Charlie."

"On me? I don't need a babysitter either Hotch."

"You're with Charlie day in and out. While you're with her, he'll be there too. I don't want any of us getting hurt. We can discuss this further later. For now, Garcia, how long will the search take?"

"It could be a few hours sir. There are a ton of names. I have to enter them, cross reference, and do what I do… But we don't have much to go on, so it could take some time and, even then, I don't know how much I can narrow down."

"Do what you can. Everyone else, let's go over what we know so we can help her out."

There really wasn't much to go on. Forensics came back and, as they suspected, there weren't any prints on anything. The blood used to write the code had odd markings in it thought to be made by a hand fashioned tool of some sort. That could be useful and they were looking into it. Once they narrowed the list they would see if that could eliminate a few more names.

"We're still waiting on test results. There's nothing more we can do today until Garcia finishes or we get a hit with the blood. So, why don't we call it a night? We're going to have some long days ahead of us, so spend time with your family tonight and come back well rested and ready tomorrow."

No one was going to argue with that. Sure, they were all frustrated. The code hadn't been solved, they were only a little further with developing a preliminary profile, and there were still names to go through. They really had nothing. But they would by morning, they just didn't know it yet.

"Everyone go home. If anything changes, you'll get a call."

"What about you? You're staying?"

"I have some things I need to finish up before heading out."

With a melancholy about them, they all got up slowly and put everything away, retreating to their desks to get whatever the needed. One by one they started leaving. Hotch watched and waited until only JJ and Emily were left out there, Rossi returning to his office.

The two women were talking. "I could use a drink, you want to bring over Charlie and decompress before the storm hits?" If only she knew what the whole storm entailed. "Hotch can come too."

"I don't know… I don't think he's in the mood. I think I might sit this one out, help him get his head in order."

"Ok, well, if you change your mind, pop on over."

"I will."

"Want me to wait for you?"

They paused as they saw Hotch coming down the steps toward them. "No, that's ok. Go home to your boys. Tell them I said hi."

"Sure thing. Bye Em."

"Prentiss, my office." He nudged his head toward his door, nodding her to follow him. Emily waved bye to JJ before following Hotch. Entering, Hotch closed the door behind them. "We need to talk."

"We do." She agreed. "First, I know we're not supposed to do this here, but I need to…" She leaned in toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing her soft lips against his.

He reveled in the feel of her body against his, the taste of her on his tongue, her body heat mingling with his. He loved it all, and he knew he had to savor it, every last bit of it, deepening it as much as he could without taking it further. He nearly cried out when she broke their kiss. "That's better. I needed that." She told him. "This day has been exhausting and it's only just the start." Still leaning against him, her head titled to look in his eyes, she said, "Ready to go home?"

"We should talk first." He sounded so distant she could almost predict what came next. It was a play from her own book, and she hated to be on the receiving end.

"We can talk at the house. We can still have a late dinner with Charlie and maybe have some time to ourselves…" She looked into his eyes, forced to admit what she had been trying not to see. "And you're not coming home with me… Are you?"

"Please sit down." His voice was sad and pleading.

"I'm not sure I should." She wasn't liking where it was going at all. Sitting down felt like she was accepting it, and she wouldn't.

"Please?"

"No… I don't want to. If you have something to say, it won't change just because I'm sitting down."

"Emily…"

"Say what you need to say Hotch. Just say it."

"I can't come back with you tonight."

"I don't understand."

"With this new threat… We have a lot to lose."

"We've always had a lot to lose. This doesn't change that. Now is when we need each other even more."

"I know… But we don't know what this guy knows."

"I thought about it… About what he could expose. But it would all come out sooner or later. That's part of what I wanted to talk about… at home… We could get ahead of this, take some of the power away and take it head on."

"By telling Strauss?"

"Yes. We might face some… repercussions, but at least we'd still be in control of what she knows and how she knows it. We'd be the ones divulging rather than them finding out by some picture or… or whatever."

"Emily… I don't want this to ruin us."

"Then don't let it." She hated the pleading desperateness of her voice. "We can do something now. Face what we have to face and stop worrying about what could be."

"I don't think that's a good idea," he stated sadly. This wasn't what he wanted either.

"Why not? Tell me why not? I can see it already Aaron. You're closing off and this case is just starting."

"I guess I learned from the best."

Ignoring the remark, Emily tried to reason with him, "Let's talk about this at home. Please. We can go see Charlie, spend the rest of the night with her and just relax. We can revisit all of this in the morning."

"I can't do that."

"Yes you can."

"I can't…"

"And what about your daughter? You're just not going to see her?"

"Don't you see that this is putting you in danger, both of you… All of us are in danger."

"It's not your fault. It could've been any of us. This is, unfortunately, a side effect of the job. We make some enemies."

"I can't be around you right now. You have to understand that."

"No, I understand that you're choosing not to be."

"This is what needs to be done. There is no choice Emily."

"Yes there is. There's always a choice. We have options. We can talk about it."

"I'm done talking. I can't do this with you."

"Do this with me? Are you… are you breaking up with me?"

"Emily… we can't… I don't want…"

She cut him off, approaching him, placing her hand on his biceps to get him to look at her. "Don't do this. Don't do what I did. Don't shut me out. We're in a good place… You're the one that told me that wouldn't change. Don't let it change. Don't do this."

"Emily…" He pushed her away gently, his hands still grasping her arms, unwilling to let go but knowing he needed to. "Go home."

"Not without you."

"I can't live with myself if something happens to you or Charlie because I'm over at your house. I need you to do this. I need you to go and just be with our daughter because I can't. If something's going to happen, it won't be to any of you. I can't let it happen. So you need to stay away from me. We need to… we need to take a break from each other, just for now."

"No. No, that's not fair. We're supposed to be here for each other, be each other's rocks and foundation. Isn't that what you said? You promised. Doing this… 'Taking a break,'" she added with air quotes, "that's not fair. It's not fair to me or you or our family."

"You want to know what's not fair?" He knew his next move was bold and uncalled for, but it wasn't. Not really. He needed her to keep her distance and he needed to give her a reason to want to. "It's not fair that you kept my daughter from me. It's not fair that you dragged us all down with your mess of a life." Low blow. "And I refuse to do the same. I refuse to hurt everyone by being a selfish, ignorant bastard." All that was missing was the left out "like you were."

"So you just want to hurt me then." She said solemnly. She knew what he was doing, but it didn't stop the hurt. "You're going to regret doing this. But, I'll do what you want. I'll go. I'll go home to Charlie and when she asks where daddy is and why you're not there, I'll lie to her. I'll come up with some excuse that doesn't make you look like the ass you are." He reached out for he, desperate for one last touch, but she pulled away from him, his touch suddenly scalding, and started walking away. "Bye Hotch."

He watched her go, memorizing the sway of her hips and her perfect gait. "Goodbye Emily. I love you…"

Sadly, he walked back into his office and sat at his desk, his only company the dark night and the creep that was probably watching him right then and there. He was letting the guy win, but if he didn't have anyone around him, the UnSub would have no one to go after. The logic was flawed, but it made sense to him in the moment. He couldn't change that someone was after them, but he had to feel like he was doing something. What he chose to do wasn't right, but at least it was something. If distance kept the woman he loved and his children safe, then he did something right. Maybe the UnSub didn't know they were romantically involved. He was grasping for straws, but that reach was the only thing that gave him comfort.

It was breaking both of their hearts, but she had to keep it together. Emily was giving herself the drive home to let it out, but then that was it. Charlie couldn't see her break down. She already saw that one too many times before. So, after their… what was it? A confrontation? One sided beat down? Clusterfuck? Whatever it was, once it was over, Emily stormed out, grabbing her bag and keys off her desk and heading right for the stairs.

The tears started the moment she realized what was happening, but they only began to fall when she was well away from his sight. She wouldn't give him that. She couldn't give him any more ammunition to fuel his quest for self-sacrifice and isolation. Her tears would just make him feel like he was doing the right thing, hurting her a little now to save some pain later. But that wasn't the case. All he did was piss her off and break her heart, and yet, confusingly enough, love him more. She knew his heart was in the right place, but she still wanted to punch him. She'd fight the urge…

Honestly, she didn't even want to think about it. She was hurt and mad and sad… feeling so much and there wasn't much she could do about it but feel. Each step was supposed to help with the feelings and they weren't. It just compounded it all. Living in her head, that was what she was doing in that moment, what both of them were doing. She was thinking so hard, she didn't even hear Garcia coming up behind her. So much for vigilance.

The blonde called her name several times after seeing Emily enter the parking garage at the same time. But her friend never answered. Running over in her high heeled shoes, she kept trying. Finally in reach, she tapped Emily's shoulder scaring her. In pure instinct, she reacted defensively, grabbing the hand on her shoulder and twisting it.

"Emily?!"

"Oh god…" She quickly stopped all movements when she saw her friend. "Garcia! Penelope, are you ok? I'm so sorry."

"It's… I'm ok… Learned a valuable lesson about sneaking up on a super spy." She mumbled as she rubbed at her sore arm.

"I'm so sorry. I… I wasn't paying attention. And with the threat I just… I'm sorry." And the situation wasn't helping soothe her.

"Really, it's ok."

"Are you sure? I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

"Really Em, I'm ok. Better question is, are you?"

"What? Who? Me? Yeah, I'm good, great… fine." Well if that wasn't a dead giveaway, then what was?

"You're crying…" Garcia tentatively moved closer, weary of Emily's possible reaction.

"I'm sorry." Emily just said and started to walk away. She hated crying in front of people!

"Emily? Wait. Gumdrop, are you ok?"

At first she stopped, then with a definitive, "No!" she stomped away, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. Garcia knew the whole team would be a mess, another crazy person after them, but she didn't think it would do so much to Emily so quickly.

"Oh my poor babies! They're all going to turn into such messes." Garcia, sighed as she watched Emily go, unaware that a set of eyes were on them too. With one last shake of her head as Emily drove off, Garcia made her way to her car and did the same. All the searches would be done by morning and hopefully the case would be over before it ever really began. Nothing was ever that easy, she knew, but even the hazards of her job weren't enough to wash away her eternal optimism. She couldn't lose that faith that things always work out in the end. And she wouldn't even if everyone else had.

Most of the team spent their nights explaining things to their loved ones, Will and JJ more than anyone. Obviously, they weren't going into great detail with the kids, nothing that would scare them. Mostly, they were just telling them that there'd be a guard around for their safety, just to make sure that nothing happened to them. Henry found it kind of cool. "He's my sidekick mom!" He told JJ. After that, she knew he'd be ok. Will was a little less than thrilled about the situation, but that was expected.

"Sometimes I really hate your job."

"I know Will."

"But we'll deal with this. Keep yourself safe at work and we'll make sure we go everywhere together when we can. Nothing will happen on my watch."

"I'm glad I have my big strong man around then."

A street or so over, Emily wasn't fairing as well. She wanted Hotch there with her, needed him. Charlie thought it was weird to have some guy follow her around though Emily tried to explain that she wouldn't even realize he was there. "But I'll see him."

"Not always."

"Weird."

"You'll get used to it Charlie Bear. But he'll be there and if you get scared or something happens, he'll be able to help."

"Why would I need help?"

"You just might, ok?" Her voice came off harsher than she wanted. Ever since she got home, she was just in a foul mood. Redoing the stranger danger talk earlier, she almost snapped.

"Are you mad at me mommy?"

"No," Emily sighed, silently berating herself for taking her feelings out on her kid, exactly what she didn't want to do. "It was a long day. But, know what I could use?"

"What?"

"A really big Charlie Bear hug."

"I can do that!" Charlie climbed over the cushion, into her mother's lap, and squeezed. Emily wrapped her arms around Charlie as tight as she could, a tear slipping from her eye. She managed to keep it in. She thought she was ok when she pulled into the driveway, fixing her makeup before going inside, but there were more tears apparently. "Too tight Mommy. Too tight."

"I'm sorry." She released her.

"It's ok." Charlie got a good look at her mother. "Are you sad mommy?"

"No, I'm ok."

"You look sad. And I don't want you to be sad."

"You don't have to worry about me Charlie Bear. I'm ok."

"But if you're sad, I can make it better, me and daddy."

Yeah, daddy would be the reason she was upset. "You can always make me happy. You don't even have to try."

"And daddy too?"

"Not as well as you."

"How come daddy's not here?"

"Uh… he… he has to work pretty late. I don't think we'll be seeing him tonight."

"But you're not working late."

"No…" she said quietly, a tinge of sadness flowing through her. "No I'm not…"

"Will he be here for breakfast? He said he'd make me my eggies."

"I… I don't know if he'll be able to make it."

"But he said…"

"I know… I know, but hey, I can make your eggies just the way you like them."

"But I wanted him to do it."

"I'm sorry Charlie Bear." Emily debated with herself what else to tell Charlie. Hotch wasn't going to be around much, at least not until the case was resolved. And who knew how long that would take? What if something happened? She needed to prepare Charlie so she wouldn't be disappointed, but she didn't want to break her heart either. Her little girl loved her daddy and now… Daddy was being an ass. "Charlie, we need to have a talk."

"A talk about what?"

"Things at work are very… busy right now."

"Are you going away again?" The pout was already forming, ready to burst into the quivering shake with a cry if it came to that.

"Not right now. But… Daddy is the boss."

"I know. He's in charge. That's what he said."

"He is, and because he is, he has to be there to deal with all the crazy stuff at work."

"But then he'll come here with me and you mommy and he'll keep us company."

"What I'm trying to say is…. Daddy's going to be very busy and I don't know how often he'll be able to come over."

"We can go to his house!" She smiled her pretty little smile. "And bring him cookies! A sleepover mommy!"

Hearing the excitement in her voice was killing Emily. She didn't want this… She didn't want to force this, but it was his choice, and she hated him for making her do this. "Not tonight baby."

"But why not? He can take a break, like you."

"I'm afraid he can't…" The sad look creeping into those disappointed coffee eyes did something to Emily that she just didn't like at all.

"But that's not fair."

"I know. It's not." Life isn't fair. "Maybe we… you can try calling him. I don't know if he'll be able to answer though." Would he? A phone call wouldn't show anything… it still kept distance. Maybe he'd answer…

"Ok…" She huffed and nodded slowly. "Can I dial?"

"Sure you can. Here." Emily handed her the phone and gave her a little space and watch from the other side of the room as she pretended to work on something.

Charlie was a little confused. Her father had spent so much time there, she pretty much assumed he was living there, not that she knew there was a difference. If he was there all the time, he lived there. That was how a child's mind worked. She was always excited to see or hear her parents, even more so when they were together, so it was a little disappointing that her dad wasn't there. She got used to him saying goodnight and talking to him almost every day. "You've reached Aaron Hotchner. Leave a message."

Remembering what her mother taught her about voicemail, Charlie decided to leave a message, upset she didn't actually get to talk to him. "Hi daddy! Mommy says you're busy with bad guys, but I miss you. Will you come see me? I made special cookies with Sarah just for you! They're Ds for daddy. I want you to come home. Love you daddy!" Hitting the right button, she walked over to Emily and handed her the phone, sadly adding, "He wasn't there mommy."

"I'm sorry Charlie. We'll try again tomorrow."

"He's not coming again tomorrow?" Her body sagged, shoulders slumping. "I made him cookies…"

"Don't be so sad. How about I take the cookies to work with me tomorrow? Then daddy will know they were special for him."

"I won't see him."

"I'm sorry. We have a very big case coming up and it's going to keep us all very busy."

"Even you?"

"Even me."

"I'm not going to see you either?"

"Of course you'll see me baby."

"Are you going away again for a case?"

"Right now, no, but I might be late a lot. I promise to call if I'm not home by bed time though and you can always call me if you need me."

"Do you have to work?"

"I do baby. Hopefully there won't be too many late days." But that was wishful thinking.

"That's not very nice. You're my mommy. You have to be with me. We can grow money and you don't have to work."

"Where did you learn that?" Leave it to Charlie to steal the frown from her mother's face and turn it right back around.

"School."

"Of course you did. One of the kids tell you that money grows?" She nodded. "I wish that was true. I'd plant a few money trees and stay home with you until you got sick of me."

"I'd never ever, ever get sick of you mommy."

"I'm happy to hear that."

"Did I make you not sad?"

"Only you could. Thanks. Now, go get your pjs on. We can put the cookies in a container for daddy and then we'll read a story."

"Ok."

Crisis averted. Emily breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, she was still in some weird state of flux, some sort of mix between angry and sad and something else unnamed, and Charlie was disappointed, but they would be ok. Hotch would pull his head out of the clouds and realize he was going about things wrong… she hoped.

In the meantime, she wanted to make sure he was ok too. Hotch might be angry with her, she determined, for her next move, but it was something she had to do. If he wasn't going to take care of himself, fine. She'd do it for him. She'd make sure he was out of harm's way too. His wishes be damned. He could be an ass to her and push her away. She'd accept that. She knew it was a rough time for him. She had been there before not too long ago. So she understood. But that didn't mean she had to take it. If she wasn't going to care about his safety, she'd do it for their daughter, for his son and their future. Because they deserved their father in their lives, and, damn it, she deserved to have love. So, she pulled out her phone, and placed a call hoping it would end with them getting a little more help than they had then and end the case sooner rather than later with minimal hurt.

A dreamer can dream right?

**Winter break from school is finally here! Ugh, I can breathe and sleep, oh bed how I missed you! **

**Though I will try, the holiday season gets crazy, so I don't know if I'll be able to update before then. In case I don't, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy New Year (though I definitely hope to update by then). Anyway, enjoy the holiday season. I know I'm going to try.**

**Sorry for any grammatical errors. Thank you everyone who has added this story to alerts or favorites and to those of you who have given feedback. Opinions are much appreciated; feedback, input, whatever. Constructive criticism also welcomed. I hope you enjoy. Until next time…**

**SouthunLady**I gave a bunch of little clues as to who dies, maybe too little for anyone to realize, but… just keep in mind this is a Hotch and Emily story and the case isn't the center of it…I'm glad you like it though. It will be a journey, but hopefully a fun one after the initial shock. Merry Christmas.

**WriterM19** I'm so happy so many seem excited by the sequel. I set it up for a lot of drama (and good times too).

**D**Someone is dead, but who? And you're right, there will be lots of drama, both good and bad.

**sarahb2007**If you chased be down with a pitchfork (probably warranted) how would I finish the stories you like? I promise it will all work out in the end. Enjoy the chapter.

**Maxi **It really wasn't fair for me to leave it there, was it? Sorry, but I've got my reasons. It has you wanting more right? Yeah, stay tuned, more of that to come lol.

**NickHotchfan** I can't tell you who it is, but I promise, there are clues leading up to it, and I think right now, people would be surprised who it is. Remember though, this is a Hotch and Emily story… pretty hard to write without them. Just saying.

**Guest** I'm sorry you feel this isn't up to the standards set by Untold Truths. Truly I am and I do hope you continue on and see where this goes. Since I can't message you directly, I'll address this here. For the record, I never said I was killing off a main character. What people infer from something is their own imagination. Not once did I say one of the main BAU members died. Take from it what you will, .Anyway, I'm sorry you're disappointed. I do hope you try to read on, if not, thanks for giving it a shot in the first place.

**Guest** Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Hope you like this chapter too.

**Lilly** Thank you both for reading (and enjoying) as well as having some faith in me. I promise I know what I'm doing! There will be plenty of those good moments.

**rmpcmfan**I think a lot of people are curious, but we can't ruin the surprise. Lol Just remember that I promised good things in this one. There is a death, but I think people are asking the wrong questions. Thanks for reading and enjoy the chapter.

**FanGirl513**Thank you! Definitely another crazy ride. But that's what people like about my stories, right? Right?! Maybe…


	3. Tryst

_I do not own Criminal Minds, only the characters I have created in that world._

**Happy 2015 everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. **

**Sorry I didn't get a chance to update before now. I was 90% done before New Year, but I took a last minute trip and my return present was a nasty little bug that kept me bed ridden and too tired to do anything. Sorry. But here's a long one to make up for that.**

**Chapter 3: Tryst**

"Hi." She said it so without life, the person on the other end of the phone knew something wasn't right.

"Emily, Darling, what's wrong?"

"I… I think I need your help again."

"Another madman out for you?"

"Well…."

"Seriously?"

"It's a long story."

"I have the time."

"Are you sure?"

"Always for you."

"You're too good to me."

"You always do the same for me."

"Yeah, but for some reason, I keep finding myself in these situations…"

"Life happens Love. Unfortunately, ours just come with a tad more danger to keep us spry."

"Spry?" She laughed, not really a funny word, but it was coming from him.

"Are you laughing at me? Me, a man willing to help you?"

"What? No…"

"Tell me what the problem is Em. You know I always want to hear."

"Things are… Things are difficult around here…"

"What did he do?"

"Why do you assume…"

"Emily." He cut her off with a stern interruption.

"He… There's someone targeting the team… He… He's keeping his distance."

Clyde preceded to ask questions which Emily tried hard to answer, but the more then talked, the more emotion came pouring out. She already had this same breakdown, well, a version of it, talking with JJ. And there she was, doing it all over again, and she would once more with her mother. It got to the point where her tears were so overwhelming, she could barely breathe.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you. I promise." And he would do so much, just like he always did.

In the meantime, while he was still out of reach, Emily had to handle things on her own. Only, this time she was sure she didn't want to. She shouldn't have to. Hotch made her a commitment. They had an agreement. No matter what happened between them, they would remain civil and close for their child, for both of his children. And yet, where was he? Drowning in his sorrows alone when she was more than happy to sit beside him and feel it all with him… All she wanted was to be there for him, to be his shoulder, to give him all he gave her. And instead, she was miserable on her own while he was miserable in his lonesome as well. Lose, lose… To top it off, their issues were making their daughter sad and irritable. She did always feed off her mother's emotions.

After their little… quarrel… spat? After their _talk_, and then Emily's alone time with Charlie, they awoke to a surprise. Each team members' phone rang early in the morning alerting them to new progress on their case, if progress was what it could be called. Turned out, the blood used on the letter finally got a match. A crime scene that turned up late with a body who happened to be the blood donor for the ink. They requested in on the case and weren't taking no for an answer.

What they found at the scene would only further Hotch's need to protect everyone around him. When they arrived in Arlington, there was a man with a striking resemblance to Morgan both in appearance and in lifestyle. James Flynn, 38, no spouse or children… neighbors said he was known to be a player, a real bachelor and big with the ladies… their first victim of note. What made it sick wasn't just that he was murdered simply for being a good stand in for Morgan, but that his muscles were fileted from his body… the tissue stripped from flesh and bone.

A note, tested later to reveal a match to their next victim's DNA, rested nailed to Flynn's chest reading, "Weakened" followed by the next string of code. By that point, Reid knew how to interpret it and it brought them to Norfolk. There they got their Garcia. Sheila Black was 35 years old, orphaned at fifteen, blonde like Garcia, though based on pictures, she too had a penchant for hair dye. Add that she worked in an IT department and they were a decent match. They found her with her fingers chopped off, sitting in front of a computer, her note reading, "Disconnected" and the next number clue.

Each number code was written in a specific pattern, not like anything Reid had ever seen before, but something he just stumbled onto and followed to an answer. The numbers all coordinated to a location giving an area code and coordinates, a string of useless but uniform numbers in between just to throw them off. He picked up on that after the second note. The location gave them clues that, eventually, led to the body.

And over the next two weeks, the code lead them to the next victim, and then the next, a new number sequence on each body. In the two weeks, they'd end up with three other crime scenes just like the first, each with a symbolic member of the team dead and a new blood inked letter waiting for them. With the code broken and the bodies piling up, all that was left was to catch their guy before anyone else paid with their lives. They worked out that he would "kill" each member of the team symbolically to taunt them before going for the real thing.

Thankfully, Garcia's programs and their preliminaries were enough to take the long list of names down to about a baker's dozen. It was still a lot, but a whole lot better than the 30 plus they had to start with. Now if they could only stop the bodies.

They were all running themselves ragged, constantly looking over their shoulders waiting for the next move, waiting for the more personal face to face attack. They were still on defense, waiting for the offensive play. It was getting to them. "Is this how you felt with Doyle? Like you are always being followed? I don't even want to go out of my house."

"That's exactly how I felt with Doyle, both right after my time with Interpol and last year. It sucks doesn't it?"

"I want this to be over. Right now, we're ok… But how long will it last? When will it become more than paranoia?"

"I wish I knew. I wish I knew…"

They all wished they knew, not just to be prepared, but to stop it, to prevent deaths. They needed to know how to get their families through. Emily and JJ felt like theirs were falling apart. Every night JJ and Will seemed to be fighting about her job, about the inherent danger and the cost to their family. "This doesn't happen every day!" She yelled. "And it's not like your job is any safer."

It became a battle, one that Henry was reacting to. But it wasn't really about the job or the danger, it was about the stress they were being put under. There was constantly someone around watching their every move. They were becoming claustrophobic and feeling scrutinized in their own home. The paranoia definitely didn't help. Will and JJ were just worried about the possibilities. No direct threats were made against the kids, but that could change. And it terrified everyone.

It had them all in a very ominous place that no one liked. But no one was feeling it quite the same way Emily was. Poor Charlie missed her dad. They managed to sneak in a few phone calls, but it had been weeks and still he hadn't come to see her. It effected both the Prentiss girls. Emily sure, she could handle it. It was just another in a long string of disappointments in her life. She was disappointed in him and in herself for believing things would work out. But she could deal with the personal disappointment. That was nothing new for her. What she couldn't handle, was her daughter's disappointment.

She took great strides over the years to avoid that as much as possible. There were times it was impossible, like when Emily was called away to work and plans had to be cancelled or postponed. But, in the end, she always tried to make it up and follow through, just shift it a little. Now, now where were they? Charlie asked for her dad every night, and each time Emily came up with some excuse. So, to make it worse, in her mind, she was lying to her kid, doing what she said she wouldn't… for him… But it wasn't for him, not completely. It was for her too and Charlie… for all of them and the future she still felt was feasible… if he pulled his head out of his ass.

Emily and Charlie made due spending more time with Haley and Jack. They all wanted a close watch on the kids, so they tended to have big get togethers whenever possible… everyone usually came, everyone but Hotch. It was nice and comforting to see all the kids together playing and laughing like nothing was happening. It gave them all some peace. They were as separated as they could be from their dark world, and that was how it should've been for the children.

But things would be coming to a head very soon, and it would be impossible to keep their pure innocence from being touched by the dark…

It was nearing Halloween, the case was gaining momentum and increasing the body count. They were closer to finding the guy, but not near close enough. They had to do something about it. So, they gathered all they had and examined it together, melding their minds to, hopefully, come to some grand conclusion.

"Alright, let's go over the crime scenes."

"Each body is posed… to represent us and our strengths." Reid pointed out.

"He's right." Of course he was. That was something that was pointed out after the second crime scene. "We had the Morgan body, Flynn, with his muscles missing. The note said weakened. Morgan's our strength."

"And Shelia Black had her fingers missing and the note said 'Disconnected.' Garcia's our computer genius, our connection to everything outside our grasps. By getting rid of her, we would be disconnected."

"Then there was the Reid crime scene."

"That one was disturbing."

"Weren't they all?"

"Not all of them had the brain cut out… While they were alive!"

"Let's stick to the facts." Hotch tried to reign them in. "Marc Randall, 30, skull was crudely removed, using a saw… the brain was then excised and positioned in Randall's lap with a note that said 'Impaired.' Reid's our brain."

"Reid, you said you met him before?"

"Just once. We played chess in the park."

"Coincidence?"

"I don't know. It was a long time ago. Any one of our potential UnSubs was locked up at the time. He couldn't have followed me. Maybe he saw me play there and Marc was just convenient because he plays a regular game there. Or, he used to…"

"Maybe. We'll look more into that later." Hotch motioned for Garcia, who was doing her best not to look at it, to pull up the last crime scene they had.

"Last week we found Francine Sarnoff, 34, has a son, Jonah, worked in marketing. Her jaw was removed… and shattered."

"Her note said 'Silenced.' That's something. The UnSub thinks or at least knows that JJ used to be the media liaison."

"That was a couple of years ago."

"I know… So it's probably significant. I'm not sure how yet, but I know it means something."

"Any ideas Reid?"

"I'm working on a theory."

"Ok, we'll all work on that. Emily's right. There's something there. Garcia will check that time frame with our suspects as she continues to try locating them."

"I will sir."

"What about the rest?"

"The rest?"

"We have four bodies. There are seven of us…"

"Well, we either find this guy before the other three are murdered…"

"Or found…" Which was more likely. All the bodies had been dead days before they found them. Which begged the next question… How did the UnSub get their blood before he murdered them?

"Or found if they're already dead… or we wait…"

No one wanted to wait. The codes and clues only did so much. They just set them up to fail and feel the failure greater. It toyed with them, baited them, hooked them, and then sent them back into the water wounded. They were clues, true, and locations, but nothing of value. They led them to bodies, eventually, but it was a long and tedious process that was mostly interrupted by local PD calls alerting them to victims and scenes that matched their MO. They weren't actually finding these things.

So, they focused on everything else. Went over and over the details, breaking down every little thing to search for more information. It would turn out to be an UnSub that wasn't even on their final list. What they thought was a good starting point, was really just a dead end. They would find that out soon enough. But, right then, they were exhausted. All their energy was going into this case and simply handling the stress. Their flame wasn't burning so brightly anymore. It was dying out with their energy levels.

"We need to take a step back here and regroup. Everybody go home. Have a quiet evening, and we'll look at this with fresh eyes in the morning."

They weren't going to argue that. Hotch was the first to leave the room, always in a rush to escape any encounters he could avoid. The rest stayed behind to help with the mess. Garcia grimaced as she and the others were picking up and reorganizing the files. "God… All of these are… gruesome… Is this what he's going to do to us? I mean… I like my fingers where they are. I can't do my job without them."

"You'd be dead Garcia… You wouldn't be doing any job…"

"Nice…" Emily nudged him as Garcia solemnly walked out. "Way to go Morgan."

"Shut up." He took the last stack and walked out to catch up with Garcia.

Everyone else left, but Emily sauntered a bit and Rossi noticed, opting to hang back too. "What's wrong kid? You and Aaron have been off since this case started. I wanted to chalk it up to stress, but it's more than that."

"It's always more, isn't it Rossi?"

"Tell me what's happening."

"He promised things would… We promised to always… Things aren't ok Rossi…"

"Look at it from his perspective… Look at it from yours… It's a rough spot. He feels it's his fault that we're being targeted. He's doing what he thinks is the only thing… to protect us."

"Why do you always ask questions if you know what's wrong?"

"Sometimes, you just need to get the other person to open up."

"I guess."

"How's Charlie doing with this?"

"She's… she misses her dad. We both do."

"He'll realize what he's doing isn't right. Just like you did… Though hopefully, he realizes it before something actually happens. You know, before there's some halfcocked scheme to take the bad guy head on… alone…"

"We can only hope…"

"You want me to talk to him?"

"I'd love for you to talk some sense into him, but don't. He needs to realize this on his own… We're not going to be here forever… He has to want to be with us. At the very least… he has to step up and be there for his kids. Charlie and Jack miss their father and need him to figure that out. Without any pushing… I've done enough pushing and avoiding… He needs to do the same, to face it."

"Don't give up. It's like I said, we'll get through this…" He gave her a hug. "Go home. Be with her. I'll put these back."

"Thanks. Bye Rossi," she said and passed him the last of her files.

"Goodnight Emily."

Home was exactly where she wanted to be. Rossi took a bit of a detour though. Despite what Emily said, a little interference was called for. No harm done.

"Mommy?" Charlie asked later that night as they were getting all the candy in the bowl for Halloween and making a few special bags for her, Henry, and Jack.

"Yes baby?"

"Am I going to see daddy tomorrow?"

"I… I don't know… I don't think so."

"But… But he said he would!"

"When?"

"When we went shopping. He said he wanted to see me all dressed up. He was supposed to come get my costume with us too!" Children and their ability to remember everything… "But he didn't! And now I'm not even going to see him." She pouted. God, that pout…

"I'm so sorry Charlie, but daddy has to work."

"Daddy always works! He never sees me anymore! Or Jack! Jack said… Does he not love me anymore?"

"No… No, don't think like that. Of course he loves you. He loves you and Jack so very much. I told you work would be busy. I've been trying my very best to get home as early as possible, but I've been late a few times… And I'm sorry for that, I'm sorry I haven't been home as much either… But you know I still love you, right?"

"Uh huh…" She said it so sadly…

"Well, daddy loves you too… He's just so busy and doesn't want to wake you up when he gets done."

"But I want him to wake me up! I miss him mommy. I want daddy." Her pout turned into a quivering lip which turned into a soft cry.

"I know baby, I know. Come here."

Hugging her daughter, Emily pulled Charlie onto her lap. "He loves you Charlie, just like I do. And he misses you too."

"Then why won't he come?"

"He'll come when he can. He loves you too much not too."

It took a little longer to calm her down. A quick visit from Clyde helped though. He needed a break and they needed him. It was a mutual thing.

"Clyde are you staying here tonight?" Charlie asked.

"Is that what you'd like Charlotte?" She nodded. "Then so it shall be."

"Does that mean yes?"

"Yes."

"Good. Mommy's lonely without daddy. And I am too. Plus I miss you too Clyde."

"And I, you Lady Charlotte. What do you say to a bedtime story?"

"Yes please."

Emily had to keep herself from crying as she watched Clyde read her a story. It wasn't like it was the first time, she was just… It was another, _**another**_, long day and Hotch was still making things difficult. He had taken to barely interacting with her, even at work. Way to remain professional… And then… It was the day before Halloween. She planned a very… sexy evening for the two of them before it all happened… costumes included… Plus Charlie loved Halloween. Jack and Henry and Charlie were all going to go together, all eight of them, friends, kids and parents, travelling as a pact. Now their pact was missing a leader.

"Night mommy. Love you." Charlie's small voice pulled her back.

Forcing a smile, she walked in and kissed her daughter. "I love you too Charlie Bear. See you in the morning."

"It will be Halloween!"

"Yes, it will. Now sleep."

"I'm still excited."

"You can be excited in the morning."

"Ok…" She drifted.

Clyde guided Emily out and into her room. "How are you really Darling?"

"I'm… I'm not even sure anymore."

"Should I get back out there?"

"No, stay. Tell me what you've found so far."

"He isn't doing anything… Every day, the same thing. I go over there once Charlie's safe and home from school. He comes home from work, sits in the same room looking at case files. He only moves to use the loo or kitchen." He patted her shoulder. "He's no happier than you are."

"I suppose that should be comforting." At least it meant there was still hope like she kept telling herself.

"Let us not think of it tonight. I'll pop open the wine, your favorite, and we'll have a quiet evening."

"Sounds good Clyde."

It did turn out to be a nice relaxing evening. Clyde managed to take her mind off things for a little while. The wine seemed to do the trick too. It was a good combination for her, Clyde and wine. But things wouldn't be so calm the next day. Two of the remaining three bodies turned up Halloween morning. The UnSub broke pattern… the time frame was being moved up… the group separated, half going to see the Emily scene and the others to the Rossi.

Kyle Bradara, 60, was a criminology professor at a nearby university. Salt and pepper hair, beard just right… Yeah, given the right angle, he could be Rossi… If the acid eroded eyes and ears were overlooked… "Senseless" that was what his note said, nailed in the cleft of his slightly burned lip… Rossi was their author, he saw and observed all he could. This was meant to show how quickly that could be taken away. The UnSub was taking stack of all their worth and trying to minimize it, eliminate it and let them know how well he knew them and their dynamics.

Emily's crime scene, though, showed the UnSub knew more than they hoped. Rachel Deliano, 35, worked for a nonprofit organization. She was single, but had a young daughter, father unknown. She was found lying in her bed in a pool of blood, her heart cut out. She, too, was alive for the start of the "procedure," tortured with the pain… It felt like a personal message. "Broken." Broken, as in Hotch would have a broken heart and he truly knew about that relationship? Or broken as in if anything happened to her again, the heart of the team would be gone? There were several ways to look at it, none good.

It gave them more insight though. The order of all the bodies did too. Everyone in the team was "killed" except for Hotch. That one, they assumed would be the most gruesome. They wouldn't be wrong. But they'd have some time before that came.

In the meantime, they could build a more final profile as they worked on other cases too. They felt terrible for not being able to save the victims, but nothing gave them any solid leads. They finally found the three suspects. They changed their names and lived fairly off the grid, enough so that it took the master computer goddess a while to find them. The team broke apart to interview the potential UnSubs while they waited for forensics and the autopsy, hoping they'd get lucky with some sort of evidence.

Neither of the new bodies had a code with it, just the note with one word. Did that mean there was no Hotch body? Was it all strictly for show? …creating an unwinnable game that creates guilt and depression as a warm up before the real thing… There were so many ways the case could play out, and a majority worried them.

But they had lives to live and worrying as much as they were just deterred that. So, they tried to focus and find their UnSub before the what ifs, the horrible what ifs their minds created, could possibly play out. An UnSub can only tease and taunt for so long before the violence was turned toward the intended target. They were nearing that mark, but they didn't want to passively wait for it. They were doing all they could, though it felt like nothing, and they wanted, no needed, to do more.

Just for the night, the entire team wanted to come together for the kids and make it seem as close to normal as they could. So, everyone, minus Hotch, who decided to just ignore his son and daughter's invitations, went to Emily's house after work. Much to the children's delight, the adults were going to dress up too, so they were making a night of it. Haley and Jack came over early, but everyone else decided to do the same too, so their family time was cut a little short, rather the family was expanded.

The kids got a kick out of seeing Morgan dressed as a pirate. "You look so cool!" They said. Morgan nearly dropped Charlie when she poked at his eye patch. "Watch it kid. That's a real eye under there."

"Sorry." She shied away.

His response was a playful tickle on her tummy. "It's alright, but beware, I have a hook for a hand and no control over it. It might try to get you." He smiled, put her down and started chasing all the kids around the house. "Argh!"

"It always surprised me that he's so good with the kids." Haley walked up to Emily.

"He's great with them." Emily smiled. "Under all that muscle, he's a big softie." Haley agreed and went about helping Emily get flashlights filled with fresh batteries and organizing the kids' bags.

"Hey, thanks for including me and Jack in this."

"Haley… He's her brother. He's included in whatever he wants to be. And… we're friends. You should be included too."

"Well, thank you. I suppose we should get into costume too. Our kids will start ganging up on us soon."

"Don't I know it." Emily instructed Haley to use the guest room/office down the hall as she headed up to her room. "Charlie, behave and no more candy from the bowl. Those are for the other trick-or-treaters."

It took a while for Emily to decide on a costume. The agents watching them asked for no masks. "It will make it harder to keep track of you." They said, like she didn't already know. But she didn't mind. She wasn't much of a mask person anyway. Plus, she, somewhat nervously, allowed Charlie and Garcia to pick out her costume when she couldn't come up with one. She didn't realize how worried she should've been until she felt how light the bag was. "Garcia?" She asked when the blonde arrived with the costume, holding on to it until the very day so Emily had no choice but to wear it. "How worried should I be?"

"Umm… only mildly worried… Yeah, I'd go with that."

"By whose scale?"

"Mine?"

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this."

"Well Sugar, doesn't look like you have a choice. Don't open it until you're about to get changed!"

Well, she was right about that one. Emily was trying to be trustful, believing Garcia wouldn't overdo it. But it was Garcia she was talking about. Her and Charlie together… no one could guess what they'd be getting. And Emily… she expected something out there, but she wasn't sure what she got… She was covered up… That was a plus… but was she really covered? Really?

"Garcia!" Emily yelled, "How the hell am I supposed to get into this?!"

"One foot after the other." Garcia answered. "I can zipper the back for you." The zipper was the least of her worries. "And no underwear!"

"Garcia?!"

"What? You didn't say the costume had to be underwear friendly."

"I didn't think that had to be stated."

"Well, now you know for next time."

"There is no next time!" Never ever, not ever, never.

"You say that now." She laughed. "Get dressed. And no underwear!"

"I swear Garcia…"

"You love me."

"I think that's debatable right now. Come in and zip me up."

Garcia entered the room with glee, smiling the whole time. Yeah, the costume would do the job as long as Hotch could see her in it… Maybe some anonymous pics sent to his phone… Probably not a good idea with a stalker serial killer after them… Yeah, strike that. The real thing was better anyway.

"Say nothing Garcia."

"I…"

"Your smile says enough. I don't think I should go out in public like this."

"Don't be so modest all the time."

"I'm going to get lynch mobbed from the neighbors."

"Because their husbands will scream your name in bed!"

"I wasn't even going to take it there…"

"Good, because that's my job. Leave it to the professionals."

"There's a backup costume hidden somewhere right?"

"Absolutely not!" She was aghast, moving to stand behind Emily at her new spot before the mirror. "Come on Em. You look good. Embrace it. Make Charlie happy."

"I have a hard time understanding how me… with a tail…" Emily flicked the furry material that sprung from the back of her belt, "would make her happy."

"She said you would like it. She liked it."

"Really?" Emily's eyebrows rose. "Are you sure her shopping companion wasn't very purr-suasive?"

"Oh funny, I like it. You're getting into character! See it was a good choice." She playfully swatted Emily's butt. "Your ass looks fan-freakin'-tastic! No underwear was the way to go."

"Are you serious right now? I'm trying not to run and hide here Garcia. You're not helping. I can't go out like this! These are my neighbors! My friends!" She paused and turned to look at her butt in the mirror. "But thanks." Her butt looked good. She had to admit.

"You're welcome. Now, can we go? There are a houseful of people waiting downstairs."

"Tell me you at least put JJ and Haley in equally embarrassing costumes."

"Who are you kidding? JJ wouldn't let me choose!

"What?! The only reason I agreed is because you were doing it for all of us!"

"That's not why. You did it because, like me, you can't say no to mini E's cute little face when she pouts."

"Yeah… well that too. But mostly the other thing."

"Suck it up Hot Stuff! We've got to get this party moving." Garcia didn't leave her a chance to respond, just leaving the room.

Emily sighed, grabbed a longer coat from her closet, and begrudgingly followed the blonde out. What did she get herself into? Morgan's catcalls came as soon as she walked down the stairs.

"Meow!" Morgan purred. "Who knew all of that was hiding under business wear? We've got ourselves a pretty little kitty."

"Save it Morgan!"

She got a slew of off color comments from the peanut gallery. She wouldn't admit it, but the compliments were nice. Rossi giving her the fatherly "are you sure you want to wear that" look did something for her too. It reminded her of her dad. He loved Halloween, not that he ever really did anything for it, but he always did tell an awesome story, even if he was thousands of miles away. She was slighted by the fact that she was the only one conned by Garcia. Haley got away with wearing a Little Red Riding Hood costume… a simple red cloak! Not fair. And JJ was Alice in Wonderland. None of them were stuck in a skin tight body suit with a tail and ears. A cat! Come on Garcia! _A sexy feline Emily…_ She could hear Garcia's voice in her head. Yeah, she'd be keeping her coat on at all times.

"Thanks everyone, for coming. I'm sure you all had plans or better offers, but it's great to be all together and it sure makes me feel safer to have us all in the same place." You couldn't be too safe on Halloween. One never knew what, or who, was lurking in the shadows.

"Come on now. What better offer could we have?"

"Stop being so…"

"So what?"

"So thankful all the time. We're all family. You don't need to thank us for every little thing. Expect more from us."

Laughing, and not wanting that to go any deeper, Emily said, "Ok then, everybody ready?"

"Move your ass Hot Stuff."

"Oh bad words!" The kids sang with wide eyes as the adults guided them out.

A couple hours, a haunted house, and a few streets into their night and Emily was in pain. "Damn it Garcia! My feet are killing me. Tell me again why I couldn't wear my boots?"

"It would mess with the feel!" She reasoned. "Besides, the heels are ah-maze-ing! They make your legs go on for miles! There's a price for beauty. And, like I said, amazing."

"Amazing to look at, murder on my feet, like little tiny serial killers massacring my toes."

"Work on your similes Sugar."

"I'll get right on it." She hissed. She could feel the blisters forming… Not so sexy anymore. Before anyone could comment, Emily's phone rang. "Hang on." She turned away from the group and put the phone to her ear, talking quietly, "Hey, is everything ok?"

"Looks like Ms. Garcia knew just the costume for you Darling."

Emily looked around. "Where are you?"

"Look right." He waved from across the street as she turned toward him.

"What are you doing? Is that make-up on your face?"

"Not make up…"

"Are you hurt? What happened?"

"I let your boy toy throw a punch."

"Hold on." She turned back to her friends. "I'll be right back guys." She got an ok from her friends and walked across the street. "He hit you Clyde?" Emily examined his face. "Looks like he got you good. What kind of shape is he in? Do I need to go bring him to the hospital? You didn't shoot him, did you?"

"I assure you, he remains untouched."

"What?"

"Listen, we need not to get into this. I've been called to London. I'm needed urgently. I have some contacts headed your way. They'll keep an eye on him. But I must leave tonight."

"Charlie's going to be so sad."

"Just Charlie?"

"You know the answer to that. Both of us."

He shook his head. "You should expect a call from him soon I imagine. He wasn't happy with either of us Love."

Sighing, she simply shrugged, "I bet…" She wasn't too happy with him either. Damn Hotch. "Are you sure you have to go? If this is just to get out of protective detail duty, I can let you off the hook and you can come visit with Charlie and me."

"Enticing. But next time Darling. I'm afraid it's an urgent case. I only have time for quick goodbyes and I'm on the next flight to England."

"I'll miss you." She hugged him.

"And I you Darling, but work beckons. I will have my people stay in contact with you. I may be out of range. I'm not fully apprised yet. But they have a lead they're following down."

"A lead?!" That excited her. Every single thing they followed turned out to be nothing. Maybe it could finally be over. The past few weeks had been incredibly long and exhausting. Stalemate sucked. "That's great."

"It has yet to pan out. But you'll be the first to know."

"Thank you so much for always showing up for me."

"It was about time I could return the favors Love. You've done your share for me in the past."

"And I'd do it again, anytime."

"Me too." He hugged her again. "Now I must go. Take care of yourself. And don't let him get to you. Don't let him walk all over you. Take control of your life. This criminal can't tear you apart if you don't let him."

"I'm afraid he already has."

"Nothing's over yet. Take care."

"Call me when you get home." He promised he would as he walked back to the group with Emily to bid them all farewell. Charlie, too, was sad to see him go, sadder still because her father hadn't been around much.

"Can we keep going now? I want candy."

"You have a whole bag full already Henry."

"But mama, I want more. Enough to last me forever."

"Lofty goals." Emily quipped. "I guess I'll truck it out a few more streets, but then it's time to head home, for us anyway. Ok Charlie?"

"All-right…"

"Don't be so upset. The sooner we get home the sooner we can dive into that candy mountain you've got going on."

Before Emily could put a limit on the future candy consumption, her phone rang again. "Damn," she whispered to herself as she looked at the ID.

"Someone's popular tonight."

"I didn't realize you had friends outside of work. You cheating on us?"

"Who keeps calling or texting?" Garcia asked. "You've been dinging for a while."

Emily motioned for them to give her a second and stepped away.

"Who do you think that is?"

"I don't know, but she doesn't look happy."

And she wasn't, not really… She was aggravated. He wouldn't let her get a word in edge wise, but, at the same time, she was happy to hear from him in any capacity, even demanding she meet him at the office late on a weekday night when she was supposed to be out with her family… his family…

She returned to the group with a sigh and a grimace.

"Who was that?"

"Hotch…"

"You don't seem happy about that."

She glared. "We're not exactly in the best of places," she admitted, trying to be more open with all of them. Not all of them were apprised of the situation, just what they could pick up on in the office and the little they told them all. "And he is calling to chew me out."

"Oh, Prentiss is getting her ass handed to her."

"Stop it Morgan…. What happened?"

"He just… He found out I had Clyde following him."

"Yeah… Are we going to talk about that? What's going on there? He just shows up saying nice to see you and goodbye… Why didn't we know about him being here?"

"I knew!" JJ said.

"Me too," added Garcia.

"Of course they did." Morgan looked to Emily. "What's this about Em?"

"We're… The UnSub has Aaron worried about us…. All of us. So he's keeping his distance. But I've been worried that he would put himself out there to get the UnSub's attention. Because of that, I asked Clyde to keep an eye on him and track the UnSub with us." She went into more detail as JJ and Garcia who were both aware of the situation, enough, took the imppatient kids to the next house.

The group caught up with them shortly after, all questions answered. But Emily's phone, that she put on vibrate, kept buzzing. "Seems important."

"Yeah E, your hip is vibrating. If I didn't know any better… well, I think we'd have to be having a completely different talk."

"Ok…" Whatever that meant.

"He called you in. Aren't you going?"

"No." She sounded sure, confidant, but she wasn't. "No, I… I'm here. I should be here. I _want_ to be here."

"But you want to be there too?"

"Well… Yeah, I do."

Emily convinced them she was fine to stay. Though her heels were crying in pain and her phone's continual vibrations were making her hip tingle, she was content to stay. Even when the kids were wearing down and Haley and Jack had to go, she was resolved to stay. Hotch kept her waiting, it was his turn.

"You're distracted kid." Rossi and the gang cornered her as the kids ran down the sidewalk path to the house they were in front of.

"I'm… not." It was a horrible attempt at a lie even to her own ears.

"You want to see him, he wants to see you… Em, why don't you go? I know it's a school night, but I'll take Charlie. We can finish this street and then I'll take her back to my house for the night."

"Are you sure? I… I don't need to go."

"I'm sure… You need this. Besides, the buzzing is giving me a headache."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You made it most of the night. You won't be missing anything with Charlie. If it makes you feel better, you can owe me one."

"Deal. I just have to say bye to Charlie… and change."

"I don't think you need to change." Garcia quickly added.

"No, no you should go like that."

"To the office?"

"Hell no you shouldn't," Morgan added, but Rossi and Garcia both nudged him, letting him know to cool it and let them do them. "No, you're good." He changed his tune.

"All-right…" She mimicked her daughter's earlier drawn out statement. "I think I'm going to go then… I think I have to. His last text seemed more like an official command than a friendly gesture to pop by and have a little chit chat. I don't know what I'm walking into."

But she was about to find out…

She regretted not going back home to change as soon as she stepped out of her car. She could've. She had to go back to the house to get her car, but something told her taking that extra time would just upset Hotch more… not that he deserved anything better. She put her life in a perpetual hold until he was ready. The least he could do was give her an hour to figure out her next move…

Walking into headquarters was… well, she was glad there weren't too many people out in the halls. Those who were there were working in offices and unable to see her in a cat suit. A cat suit! She showed up to her place of employment in stripper heels and a cat suit! She was so being fired…

On a positive note – slightly positive – the security guards weren't shy about telling her how great she looked. So, despite her trepidation, at least she got an ego boost. Temporarily before the mortification could set in…

She opted not to take the stairs. Her feet really were in pain and she couldn't climb all that way. But the ride was just too quick. She started asking herself questions. Why was she really there? How was this going to go? How angry was he? What was she walking into? The doubt set in. She knew, obviously, he'd be upset. She messed with his privacy… But he was messing with her life first! Clyde was just her counterattack… Yeah, she was aware that even thinking of it as an attack was a bad way of going about things… Oh, what was she in for?

What they were they even doing? They could be… together, being happy… Ugh, she was just frustrated.

Hotch snuck up on her during her mental deliberation. "What the hell are you dressed as?" He couldn't see the outfit, just the ears and the tail peeking out from under her coat. "Are those ears?"

Flushed with embarrassment, she pulled the ears off her head. "Sorry, I was out trick-or-treating… with Charlie and the kids… where you should've been."

"We need to talk. Now!" Hotch grabbed Emily's arm and dragged her, a little more forcefully than he meant. "Ow Hotch! Let me go." She squirmed, his hand tightening around her wrist. "What the hell?" She asked as he released her hand, muttering an apology before closing them into Strauss' office. No one was on their floor. Her office just happened to be the closest to offer privacy should someone come around.

"I can protect my family!" Hotch yelled as soon as they were sheltered in the room, a kind of yell that expressed more than just the fury but the primal male need to be alpha, to know that he was in charge and trusted to care for everyone. He moved closer to her, "Tell your little pet to get a better costume next time, and to stop following me. How'd he even get onto FBI property anyway?!" He threw a black mask into her chest. _Oh Clyde… _"I can protect my family!"

"I know you can. But you can't be everywhere at once." Emily insisted. Yeah, she knew he'd be upset, but she did what she had to. "And while you're busy protecting everyone else, who's protecting you?!"

"Me, I'm protecting me! I'm protecting us!"

Emily stopped the yelling and shook her head. "You can't protect everyone Hotch… no matter how hard you try, you just can't. And while you're so worried about everyone else, I'm terrified for you. I'm terrified of losing the man I love, the father of my child… a man this world would be much darker place without…"

"So you deal with that by sticking your guard dog on me?!" He didn't react the way he wanted. There were two thoughts in his head when he heard her words. One was to give in, to hear her fully, apologize, and love her… The other was angry, angry that she didn't seem to get it, that he was just trying to do the right thing… At his expense too…but it was the only thing he could try, and she wasn't letting him…

"If that's what I have to do, then yes! Yes, I'll put whoever I can on your watch! I need you to be safe. I need us all to be safe!"

"It had to be Clyde! Of all people, you choose him?!" Suddenly, his rage turned to jealousy. He pushed her away, and immediately, she goes to Clyde. It pissed him off.

But why wouldn't she call him? The minute she could, she made the call, telling him all she could before breaking down. He promised her he'd be on the next flight he could, always ready to travel to her when she rang. Plus, he had been meaning to go see her. Thankfully, his position was flexible enough that it allowed for that.

"_Hello Love." He greeted her as he came out of the baggage area._

"_Hi Clyde." She gave him a big hug. "I really hate that it always takes a favor for us to see each other."_

"_Well, it just gives us the excuse Darling. Not that I need one. You're looking rather well."_

"_Thanks Clyde. You look good too."_

"_Tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it."_

"_Move to America and fix my life?"_

"_Done." He smiled and gave her a hug. "I'll take care of her… and him."_

"_I know. I wouldn't trust anyone else for the job."_

"_I'm glad you called me."_

"_Me too. Let's get back to the house and I'll fill you in on everything after we get you settled in."_

_When they got there, Charlie was still at school, so they had a little time to themselves. She made them tea, kept her hands busy and the nerves at bay, but she was shaking. Not in fear, but just so emotion filled and worried. "Talk to me Love. Tell me what you want me to do."_

"_I… I called my mom for some private security. They'll be tailing everyone too. But… I need you… I need you to make sure he doesn't do something stupid. I need to be here for my daughter, to protect her and he's too busy worrying about everyone else that he's forgetting about himself. But I need him. I need him safe. And you're the only one I trust for the job."_

"_I'll do it for you… Even though he's not a person I'm quite fond of."_

"_I know… I hate that I'm asking. But I am… I love you Clyde, and I need this. We're still not sure who this guy is or what his plans are. Right now he's just taunting us… but that could change and… and I love him…"_

"_I will look out for him as long as I can. And if I must get back to London before this man is apprehended, I'll call in reinforcements."_

"_Is this… Is this going to get you in trouble at work?"_

"_I'm the boss now Emily. I make my own schedule."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Even if it interfered, I'd do it for you."_

"_I know… Thank you. Just… Promise you'll be safe too."_

"_I will…"_

"_Nothing can happen to you either." She didn't want to lose anyone…_

"_Don't worry about me Darling. I know what I'm doing. I'll keep my distance and watch out. I have my people looking at surveillance footage and going over the crime scenes between cases. If they find something. I'll let you know."_

Unfortunately, his team didn't find anything either at that point. No one was finding anything… Except Clyde and Hotch finding each other, apparently. Even if Clyde's team found a lead, there was no guarantee. They don't always pan out. But he said they might have something, so she needed to have some faith.

"Yes, I chose Clyde because I trust him. I know he'll protect me and my family."

"So you don't trust me?" Now he was sad, all his emotions cycling.

"I can't trust you when you push me away. I need someone to be here. You're choosing not to be…" She sighed, moving the hair from her face. "Can't you see that this isn't doing anything? What's the point? He's still after all of us. It's not working. Running from us won't change that."

"Don't you think I get that?! I know it's pointless. But what if it's not? I have to try something…"

"I understand why you want distance between us. I did the same thing. You want to keep us safe. Well, you know what we want? We want the man we love to be there when we wake up and to eat breakfast with us, or help me put our daughter to bed at night. This… this distance… How's that working out for you? Because I can tell you, it's not working out so well for me. It's just self-imposed hell that's spreading through all of us. I have a very sad little girl at home who wants her daddy. And I suggest you figure out how to make that happen or when all of this is done and we're all ok, we may not be waiting for you."

"Emily…"

"If nothing else… you better make her understand what's going on with you because I sure as hell don't… I have no idea. Maybe it makes sense to you… doing exactly what you told me I shouldn't have done with Doyle… Maybe, on some level, you actually understand me better… But that doesn't change the fact that you've gone a week without as much as a phone call to your daughter. So make it right… Make it right before it's too late. And you're not losing your tail either."

"Wait!" Hotch stopped her, getting her to turn around and keep her from storming out. Facing each other, he just held her gaze.

"Are you going to say something?"

"I…" He moved closer, closing the gap between them. "I miss you."

The moment his skin touched hers, his hot breath against her ear, she melted and forgot all else. "I miss you too." She whispered back, gulping up the missed feeling of his body net to hers, holding her, caressing her.

"You look really amazing in that costume." His dimples were out… how she missed those dimples…

"Hotch…" She shied away. It felt so nice to just be with him…

"No… you really do. But you know that." His hand began to gently brush against her forearm. "You always look amazing."

"Don't do this. You don't get to do this." Her resolve was breaking. He was mad. She was mad. Then, in an instant, they were just… them… the normal them that were insanely attracted and in love with each other, everything else forgotten. Just looking at each other and being in the same place alone after a few weeks had them both feeling all that pent up… passion and love. "You can't just tell me I'm beautiful and make everything better. It's not better." But his touch was really helping sell it…

"And you here, dressed like that isn't making me forget that you sent Clyde to babysit me."

"I didn't send him to babysit you! And don't say his name like that."

"Like what?"

"Like he's the antichrist and you're a Crusader for Jesus."

"How am I supposed to feel about him being here? About you always going to him for help?"

"How about you feel grateful that I have someone that cares about me and _**our**_ daughter enough to fly here and make sure we're all protected? How about that?"

"I am grateful for that! But Clyde?!"

"What's wrong with Clyde?"

"You know how I feel about him. He's…" His angry face turned to a worried one. "Are you seeing him? Have you slept with him?"

"What?! Where is this coming from? No I…" Then it hit her. "Oh…" She started laughing. "You're jealous… like really jealous."

"I am not…"

"You are… and that's ok." Kind of made her feel good, reinforced that the man she loved and who loved her was still in there. "It actually… it feels kind of nice… And I… I was jealous of you and Beth… and then the detective in Alabama that was all over you."

"Shawna?"

"If that was her name…"

"I didn't know you were jealous." The mood had suddenly lightened. "You didn't need to be."

"And neither do you. I've wanted this… for a very, very long time…"

"Me too… You're it for me Emily… We just have to wait for…"

"Don't." She put her finger on his lips. "Don't finish that sentence. We shouldn't have to wait for anything. There's nothing in our way but ourselves."

He took her hand in his and pulled it away from her face. "There's a lot in our way right now." Mostly him…

"But there doesn't have to be." She leaned her head into his chest as they stood there in silence for a little while, his hand slipping under her jacket, running the length of her back.

"Have I mentioned how amazing you look tonight? The cat look works for you." He said in the quiet.

"Oh, this old thing." She winked.

"I'm a little sad I didn't get to see you walk around in that. Morgan and Rossi got an eyeful, my eyeful."

Though they were being playful, she wanted to make a point, so she slipped off her coat, purposely dropping it to turn and pick it up, just to show off her greater asset. He hadn't seen anything yet.

"Not fair."

"What?"

"Rossi and Morgan got to see that…"

"I think Garcia was the most thrilled about it."

"Was this her doing?" Emily nodded. "I shouldn't be surprised. You are… unbelievably beautiful, but too modest to pick out something so…"

"Slutty?"

"That wasn't what I was going to say…"

His hand brushed her face as they stood there. "I really do miss you."

"You don't have to miss me if you stop pushing me away."

"I… I have to do what's best for all of us."

"This isn't it. I need you Aaron. We all need you."

"I need you too, but I can't forgive myself if something happens to you simply because an UnSub picked a moment we were together to make a targeted attack…"

"Why are you doing this? Why? You don't have to. I don't want you too… Please Hotch… Aaron, just let us be here. Clyde is gone. After your little run in, he got called away. I'm not forgetting about the punch either – uncalled for… I don't want you on your own. You want to protect us… Let us protect you too."

"I love you Emily, but I can't do that."

"Please." She pleaded and she hated it. "I…"

"Stop, don't make it harder. It's hard enough forcing myself to stay away. You think I want this? That I don't want to be with you and Charlie and Jack every free moment I can… That I want you to turn to Clyde and the rest of the team because you can't rely on me? That I don't want to feel you sleep next to me or… or kiss you whenever I want."

"You can… You can have me… Do it… Kiss me."

"I can't… It will make things harder." He shook his head. God, did he want to. All he wanted to do was kiss her, take her home and just do everything with her from sitting on the couch watching crappy TV to ravaging her body… everything.

"Do it."

"I can't…"

Her eyes watered, the moment of hope that he'd stop being so stubborn just lost now. "Why do you do this to me? Why do I let you do this to me?"

It was rhetorical, but he answered. "Because I love you and… and you love me."

"More than I thought possible."

"I really do you know… love you… even if I haven't been the best boyfriend lately."

"Right now, you're barely breaking the top 10…"

"That seems high."

"I've had some really crappy boyfriends."

"I don't… I don't mean to be."

"Usually, you're not."

"This is hard for me."

"For me too Aaron… which is why we should all be handling it together, not forced apart."

"I… I don't want to think about losing you… But that's all I do… I think about losing you and Charlie and Jack… and it kills me a little more each time."

She held him close, her hands wrapping around him. "You're not losing us unless you make it that way. We're not going anywhere."

He finally took his chance. He couldn't stop himself. He just… he wanted her… All of her, nothing, no baggage or UnSub between them… His lips moved down to her neck, working his way up to her mouth. His hand roamed her body, moving down to her butt before lifting her up into his arms and putting her on the desk as he hovered above her.

"What are we doing?" Emily asked in between heated kisses.

"I'm finishing what you started by wearing that damn outfit." He hissed in her ear before moving for her zipper. "You're not wearing any underwear," he said, stopping mid movement as his hand touched the unclothed skin.

"No… Garcia wouldn't let me."

"She the underwear police?"

"There was an inspection."

"Can we have our own inspection?"

"Oh, absolutely. And be thorough agent."

Emily enjoyed his search. It was like he was cataloguing every mark on her body. But she couldn't stop the school girl giggle when the tight fabric caught on his belt and they tumbled to the floor. But it didn't stop them. His belt now removed and Emily exposed, Hotch returned to his incessant assault on her mouth. Emily turned the tables, stripping him of his pants and shirt. They didn't care where they were. The fact that they were in Strauss' office was completely lost on them. Well, not completely, there was an ill-timed reminder.

"What was that?" Emily asked.

"You don't like that? I thought you did." He paused his movements.

"No, no don't stop that… Keep doing that. I… oh… yeah, I like that… _**a lot**_…" She moaned as he continued, but another noise distracted them. "Oh, that… that noise, what's that noise?"

"I don't know."

"Should we find out?"

"I don't want to stop."

"Me either."

"So let's not. We'll be quiet. The door's locked I think."

"You think?" Her eyes went wide. The thought of someone from work walking in was almost as bad as them stopping. Neither scenario appealed to her. "We shouldn't be doing this here."

"It is, and we'll be fine."

"Fine. We'll just be quiet."

"You just don't want me to stop."

"You don't either." She whined.

"No, I don't."

"So don't!"

"Shh," they could hear the sounds of wheels turning and keys jingling. "I think it's just the janitor. We'll be ok."

"Then quit stopping. I can't do all the work myself." A smile on his face, he covered her mouth with his, their tongues battling, their bodies fighting for control. His hips met hers time and again, their mouths remaining glued together to muffle the sounds.

Just as they were starting to reach their peaks, a few hurried thrusts, the door knob started turning. "Don't stop." She nearly screamed when his body froze and his mouth peeled away. "Shit." Emily was trying hard not to make a sound as her orgasm ripped through her. "Oh god…" Emily groaned as the noise stopped and footsteps could be heard moving more distant. Hotch stated his ministrations again, moving within her heated body, already sensitive and ignited. Ready for the net release.

They came together before collapsing on the ground, side by side, panting.

Catching his breath, Hotch said, "That was a close call…" But he wasn't done with her. Who knew what would happen next or when they would get this time again… "We should get out of here."

"Your place?"

"Charlie?"

"With JJ."

"Your place is closer."

"There works too."

They rushed to dress, Emily complaining when she saw a tear in her outfit. Hotch took pride in it, but her mind immediately went to how she'd explain that to Garcia. Together, they nearly ran out of the office trying to look as inconspicuous as possible and taking necessary precautions all why trying to keep their libido in check. Thankfully there weren't many people there they needed to fool.

They didn't waste any time resuming their earlier activities. "I can't believe we had sex in Strauss' office. I've always wanted to do that."

"You did?"

"Come on Hotch. It's like saying screw you to your boss by screwing someone on their stuff."

"You're crazy."

"Besides, we had to get that out of the way before she and Rossi christened that office."

"Don't ruin the mood."

"I don't think that's possible." They were walking deeper into her house and with each step she lost another item of clothing. First her shoes, then the coat, then, slowly, she climbed out of her body suit until she was stark naked, standing in her living room like a statue for Hotch to gawk at. "Like what you see?"

"You're amazing, you know that."

"And you're overdressed. Why are you still wearing clothes?"

It didn't take any convincing. He took off his already wrinkled suit, picked her up bridal style, and took her to her room. They were making up for lost time and filling a debt. They were two bears who had been hibernating and now in desperate need of mating season. And they didn't stop until they were too worn out to make complete sentences, their sexual appetite more than satisfied.

Hotch watched her drift off afterward, her body pressed against his. She missed him. And he missed her. Watching her sleep felt so therapeutic, but he knew it wouldn't last. The doubt set in quickly in the peace. His presence there just made her a bigger target. It showed the UnSub she was the one that would get to him most. He couldn't put her in that position. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair, but it was what it was. He had to go.

He hated himself for it, hated that it would inevitably seem like he used her, that he abandoned her after getting what he wanted. But he loved her… And maybe he was crazy, but the distance would make it harder for the UnSub to get any new information. It was his only option… his only chance. And he'd hate himself even more if someone got hurt because he wasn't cautious enough.

"I love you Emily… More than you'll ever understand. I'm doing this for us." He kissed her sleeping form, pulled on his pants, and left her alone in her room. She'd wake up to an empty bed and he'd end up feeling even worse.

**I'm back in school now… super fun. I'm going to do my best to update as regularly as I can. Next chapter is one not to be missed. Major things happening. It's the end of the UnSub drama and the who, what, and why will be answered. Just saying…**

**Sorry for any grammatical errors. Thank you everyone who has added this story to alerts or favorites and to those of you who have given feedback. Opinions are much appreciated; feedback, input, whatever. Constructive criticism also welcomed. I hope you enjoy. Until next time…**

**SouthunLady**How did you figure that one out? Female hmmm… Maybe… I can't say. You'll find out next chapter. No easing into a story. Where's the drama in that *wink* I have to make it interesting.

**WriterM19** I probably am going to break your heart. But we'll get through it together. Big things are happening for our couple. You'll see! Thanks for coming on the ride though!

**D**Can someone be too good at that? Thanks so much. It so will pay off. The case is almost over and we'll move on to the next big thing…

**KD** Thank you. And yes, lots and lots of feels coming your way, from more than just this case.

**Maxi **They are way too much alike! They're both over protective and stubborn, strong willed individuals. It works for them, but it causes some trouble too.

**Guest** He is definitely going about it the wrong way, but he doesn't necessarily see that. He just sees that he has to do something, to try something that might protect them.

**Wiggle34** Thank you! And sorry I kept you waiting.

**Lilly** Thank you. Happy holidays to you too! I'm big on angst. Seems like you are too!

**rmpcmfan**I think you're on the right track there. Good guess. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for reading.

**FanGirl513**Hotch is pretty thickheaded, but he thinks his reasons are good. I'm glad you're loving it. And I promise, good times will be coming. They will!


	4. This is How it Ends

_I do not own Criminal Minds, only the characters I have created in that world._

**Oh my God! It's working again! I finally have the chapter ready and the site is down for a while. What's up with that?!**

**So, thank you everyone who has nominated Untold Truths and Lost and Found for the Profiler's Choice Awards. It's an honor and a privilege. I'm honored and you all are awesome. Thank you. Vote if you want for whoever or just check it out to find some great stories. **

**Death in this chapter, be warned. But, don't be too afraid to read on. It's a long one. Buckle up and enjoy. **

**Chapter 4: This is How it Ends**

Emily woke up the next morning to a cold breeze hitting her bare bottom, the window no longer fogged from the heat of their bodies next to the cool glass. Pulling the covers over her, she scooted over deeper into the other side of the bed, hoping to curl into her human pillow… But she just found more sheets, cold to the touch. It took her a second to work through the night before. Was it a dream? Was her overworked mind subconsciously creating this fantasy of what she wanted as some weird form of therapy to work through her repressed issues and sexual frustration? No… no, she looked around the room and down at her very naked herself. The night was definitely truth, not fiction. But the dream she lived, their coming together, was turning into a nightmare upon waking.

Sighing, she forced herself out of bed, the sheet wrapped around her as she walked to the open window. Shutting it and closing the blinds, she let the sheet fall as she went to shower. It was still early, several hours before she needed to be in work, but she decided to shoot JJ a text asking if she wanted Emily to take the kids to school and to see how Charlie faired last night. At least focusing on that would take her mind off of her empty bed and hurting heart.

JJ replied shortly after. _Thanks. That would be great! She passed out with Henry while we were candy sorting. A little angel. _

_Aww, cute. _Emily sent back along with the time she'd be there. JJ was quick to ask her how things went with Hotch, but Emily delayed her answer. She debated with herself what to say. Did she admit to sleeping with Hotch? That would lead to questions and she didn't have answers. She didn't know how she felt about it. It was good, great actually, but waking up alone the next morning really stung. Before she could come up with a response, JJ called her. "Hi."

"Hey Em. Morning."

"Morning."

"So… Things with Hotch…"

"He was upset. I was upset. We talked."

"So you worked things out?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I mean… we talked, but we didn't really talk… Nothing really got solved." That was true. All they established was that they loved each other, were attracted to each other, and were both stubborn; also that they were insanely attracted to each other and were likely to jump each other's' bones after long periods of time apart. But they already knew all that.

"Nothing happened?"

"There wasn't a fight or anything if that's what you mean."

"I don't know… I guess I was just expecting something." JJ was rooting for a fix all.

She sighed. She'd been doing that a lot lately. "I don't know what I was expecting. We're… I don't know what we are right now. He wasn't happy about Clyde. I knew he wouldn't. We did some talking, but it was mostly just me trying to get him to stop pushing us all away."

"Didn't work though?"

"Well, he's not here… so, I'm going with no."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah… we'll figure it out." Hopefully… They chatted for a few minutes before JJ had to go start getting ready.

Emily tried to pretend nothing happened, or, better yet, that what happened didn't affect her, but it wasn't really working. She saw what it was doing to her every time she looked at herself in the mirror. She just hoped her mask was enough to fool everyone else as she grabbed Charlie's uniform and bag before heading to JJ's.

"Did you eat?" JJ asked.

Before she could answer, the kids immediately pulled Emily to the breakfast table. "JJ is cooking pop-tarts."

Emily laughed, "I don't think you actually cook those."

"Hey, don't say anything bad about them. They're a breakfast staple in this house."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" JJ faux glared as Charlie offered Emily some of her food. "I'll pass. Thanks Charlie Bear." She ruffled her daughter's hair. "It's no wonder Henry loves to eat at Auntie Em's house."

"I can cook!"

"I know you _can_ cook, you just don't."

"I do… mostly – when I have to." JJ smiled at her, a hint of a glare.

Emily returned the smile. "I made them both lunch. Charlie has two of everything in her bag to share. You're welcome Henry." She teased.

"That was nice of you. I do know how to feed my kid though."

"I know Jayje. It's not a comment on your parenting, just idle hands deciding to do something nice."

"Well, it's appreciated." JJ winked. "So… are you going to keep me in suspense or are you going to tell me more about last night?"

"There's nothing to tell," she said quietly, not wanting the kids to jump into the conversation.

"With you," she narrowed her eyes, "I've learned there's always something."

"Really, we argued and then I went back to my place."

"And what did you do?"

"I went to bed." Oh, the power of carefully chosen diction.

"Sure you did." JJ smirked.

"Really, I did. I was… exhausted. So, almost as soon as I got home, I stripped out of that ridiculous cat suit and went to my room." Not one lie passed through her lips, other than the nothing to talk about thing.

"Oh the cat suit!" She leaned in toward Emily, blocking the kids' view. "How did he like that?"

"He… thought it was ridiculous. Who didn't? And don't get me started on the strange looks from security… I swear they wanted to pat me down just for the hell of it. Why did you tell me I was ok to go into work like that?"

"You looked good!"

Emily still wasn't sure what to say or, rather, what to reveal. She hated to admit it, but she was a little embarrassed. Did she need to be? Maybe, maybe not. She didn't think so. It wasn't like some random fling. It was Aaron… but, for some reason, it just felt… She didn't even know. She was sad. He wasn't there when she woke up and, though she knew logically that this wasn't the case, she felt kind of used, cheap. She thought they had a nice night – an incredible time – and then he was gone before a word could be uttered about it. Not even a good morning. It wasn't like she was expecting breakfast in bed or a little 'good morning – wake me up' sex, but a simple goodbye would've sufficed.

It sucked. It really did, but there wasn't a whole lot they could do about it right then. "I'm going to get Charlie changed and then I'll head out. I think I'm going to stop by that coffee shop we like. Do you want something?"

"Oh, yeah, get my usual ok?"

"Sure."

JJ took Henry and Emily Charlie to go get ready. When they were heading out the door, Emily said, "See you at work."

"Alright. And don't think I'm not going to ask more about last night when you get there."

The good news, and the bad news, was there would be no time to ask questions at work.

With the case spanning over weeks, Strauss, though she had softened when it came to them, a little, was told they needed to start splitting attention and she had to enforce that. So, while the main focus would be on their case, they had to do the occasional consult and outside cases. Thankfully, the media hadn't picked up on their case and their UnSub wasn't in it for attention, not public attention anyway. Somehow, they were able to keep it in house. All the public knew was that there were deaths, nothing connected.

The team was in the middle of their briefing, going over the latest news on their UnSub. Each day they had narrowed their new list down, now, they had it at three names and were working out the possible endgames. But, they were called away for a kidnapping case before they could get any further that day. Hotch and Emily were acting normal, almost too normal. But no one really picked up on it. If anything, they assumed their talk worked out some of the issues, and, honestly, Emily was glad they didn't have to get into it. Hotch more so. He was upset with himself, so upset. But he found a way to rationalize it. He had to… Right? He was starting to question his own motives. It nearly killed him to walk out that morning. He wanted nothing more than to pull her out of bed the next morning and work on a replay of their Paris shower scene or simply sit in bed and watch her sleep, soaking in her beauty and peaceful vulnerability. He had to shake the thoughts and focus.

The case was tough, not just because the first victim was found dead within an hour of their arrival, but another was taken soon after that. They were doubting themselves. They were unable to catch their personal UnSub, so how were they supposed to catch anyone else's? Those thoughts were making all their lives harder and distracting from the case at hand. Their minds needed to be focused like aim on a target. They couldn't have any more bodies show up because of their incompetence. It took a few days, but they managed to get the second child home safely, the UnSub in custody and heading to lock up. The local LEOs could handle it from there.

The other part of what made the case so hard was that they were terrified to leave their families behind. Yes, the children were practically under lock and key, but they weren't with them. And, to them, that made all the difference. It was incredibly hard just to find the courage to board the plane and then harder not to call every two seconds while they were away. Anything could happen at any point in time and they had yet to figure out who their tormentor was. It was difficult. In the end, they were just satisfied that they were able to do their job and simultaneously have their family safe too. But, they were done with the case and heading back.

The plane ride home was interesting. Tired, they all laid out scattered around the plane. Reid started with his nose in a book but quickly passed out, drooling on the pages. JJ didn't even try to stay awake. Morgan had his music to lull him, Rossi and Hotch had their case files, and Emily her overactive mind.

A quiet ruled the jet, a snore from time to time or the crunch of grinding teeth, but mostly, it was just filled with the hum of the engines and the flipping of pages until everything seemed to stop and the voice penetrated them all.

"I think I know who our UnSub is…" Hotch interrupted the silence.

"What? Who?!" It came out like a collective scream, waking them all with the knowledge they had been waiting for. If he knew, he had to tell them so they could get on top of it, find the bastard and haul his ass in, so, after his admission, they all moved to surround him.

Hotch got into the story, telling them what he could remember about Patrick McAndrew. He wasn't sure why he didn't think about him in the first place. It was one of his first cases as prosecutor, and his first major conviction. The guy was sick, that much he knew. The man was cold and calculating, manipulative and yet, an amazing actor. He seemed so normal. They got him for murdering his business partner, but Hotch wasn't so sure he did it. Guilty of something, yes. Guilty of that, he wasn't sure.

"I tried to help him, to talk with him. The evidence wasn't clear cut." He went beyond what a prosecutor did because he wanted to get the right guy. But, he found himself asking at what cost. Patrick definitely deserved to be behind bars, but what if he didn't do it? It was something he had to weigh. "I wanted him in jail, but I also wanted to get the right guy for this murder, to give the family closure."

"You were thinking like a profiler, not a prosecutor." Rossi told him.

"So what happened? How did his name come up now?"

"And why would he be after you? And how? You said he was convicted. Is he out?"

"He was convicted. I just checked my email. My old office sent over his case file. I guess they forgot to put it with the other ones." He shook his head. "McAndrew was released two years ago." He looked at them all. "That's enough time to orchestrate all of this… I was never sure he committed _that_ murder, evidence was circumstantial, but I was sure he killed someone. His alibi was off, he had traces of blood, some the victim's, some not, but none his. Things didn't add up with him." Later investigation by the BAU would reveal he had over 20 kills under his belt, more than Hotch's original estimation, including McAndrew's own mother, drowning her when he was just a teenager. But they wouldn't find that out for a while. First they had to get the guy.

"What happened with him?"

"During the trial, some other evidence came up, death threats were made against his family. They were directed toward his wife."

"From who?"

"Well, the detectives followed it down and it all pointed to him. We brushed it off after that. They determined it was a tactic to make it seem like someone else was the killer and he was blackmailing him into taking the blame."

"What happened with the threats?"

"I don't know. After the trial was over, I moved on to the next case. His wife was there for the verdict. She was alive and well; pregnant if I remember correctly."

"So you think he's going after you because you helped get the conviction? What about the other lawyers? The cops?"

"I don't know Morgan! If I knew, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!" His anger flared, but he quickly realized it was unfounded. Morgan and the team meant no harm. "I'm sorry. The truth is, any UnSub we come across now or criminal I helped put away then has some reason to come after us, or at least some reason to justify wanting to come after us. To them, we're the reason they got caught or whatever their minds come up with. McAndrew threatened all of us, the detectives, lawyers, everyone. We never took it seriously and we never had reason to, but now we do. So, we will go over everything, track him down, and, if he's our UnSub, we put him away before he can hurt anyone else."

"We'll get Garcia to gather any and all information on him."

"If anyone can track him down, it's her."

"Ok, but for now, let her rest. We have a few hours before landing. Let's try to get some sleep and we'll call her in before making our way to Quantico."

When they returned home, they spent the rest of the night gathering all the information they could on their guy and sent Garcia on the tracking. As soon as she got him, they deployed teams to go and get him. But he wasn't there. They were so close, and they didn't get their guy. The search, the find, it was almost too easy. It was like, despite all the efforts to remain hidden, now that they knew it was him, he was hiding in plain sight. Everything was just sitting there waiting for them, and they missed it.

"Hotch, look what I found." All their eyes found what Morgan was looking at. Each team member had a biography, a brief timeline of major events, some before the UnSub's prison release, some after.

"He had to have help. No way could he have done this from behind bars."

"A team?"

"No way… That would ruin the revenge for him. He might have used someone, but not a team."

"Maybe he hired someone to tail us. A PI or a hacker maybe."

"I'm going to call Garcia and tell her to look into that while we get the techs here to sort through this."

"We should look for anything that might tell us where he is, profile the scene."

The team went looking around, going through all the files and pictures the UnSub had as JJ went to go make the call to Garcia. Everyone was exhausted. They went straight from one case to the next and this one had been taking over every free second for more than a month now. Finally being in the dragon's lair felt like they were one step closer to slaying it and freeing everyone from its hold. They even found a kill room type area, dried blood and tools meticulously placed. So, obviously he killed more than just the people he used for his game.

"Guys, we have to get out of here!" Reid yelled out. Instinctually, they all ran to him, abandoning their positions.

"What is it…? Oh." They stopped short.

A bomb… They all saw the timer ticking down. Two minutes. "It looks like it's triggered by a phone call. He must be watching and made the call when he knew we were in here."

"You think this is the only one?" Emily asked curiously, trying to deduce its magnitude.

"Does it matter? We need to get the hell out of here. I'm not getting blown up today."

"No one's getting blown up. We need this information. I can… I can defuse the bomb."

"What do you know about defusing bombs Emily?!"

"I did it before… once…" She neglected to mention that she had a bomb tech in her ear explaining what to do. They really didn't need to know that. She studied how after… a little.

"What?!"

"Can we discuss this later?! I can defuse this, but I can't see if it's connected to any other charges. So… So everyone else needs to get out."

"Hell no!" Morgan yelled.

"We're not leaving you," Hotch said with all seriousness. There was no way…

"Look, we can argue this until the bomb goes off and we all die or… or you can trust that I have some clue what I'm doing and let me do it so we can get everything we need to finally be a step ahead."

"You don't know how to do this!"

"I… I know more than you do."

"Fine you want to do it? Do it! But I'm staying right here. So if we die, you'll have that on your conscience."

"You realize we'd both be dead then, right?"

"Emily," Hotch began to reason with her. "Please, we have enough time to all get out. We'll find him without this. We took a few pictures. We have enough."

"I've done this before. I read about some of this. Please, just go and let me try."

It took some more back and forth, but as the timer hit the 30 second mark, the guys, minus Hotch, agreed. She was too stubborn. She also felt very stupid. Her drive to get the guy and finally have her life back was clouding her judgment. Unless it was absolutely life or death, there was no way she should've been handling bombs. But there she was, doing just that, hoping she really had the knowledge she needed tucked away in her mind.

"Listen to me Emily. If you die and I have to go tell our daughter that… I will never forgive you. And neither will she."

"If we both make it out of here and you don't start acting like her father and treating me better… I won't ever forgive you." She said sternly, removing one of two detonators from the block of c4.

"I know…" 10 seconds. "I love you."

"This is the last one." She looked up. "If all goes well, I pull this out, turn it off, and we're good. But… if not… I love you too."

5, 4… "Do it."

Her eyes nearly closed, both holding their breath, Emily pulled out the last detonator and quickly stopped the countdown. "Oh god…" They breathed again. "We're clear!"

Except they weren't clear. Not really. They opted to all wait outside and have bomb techs come in and sweep the place before they did anymore looking. Emily and Hotch were heading to the exit, the rest of the group hanging by the door waiting for them, when, all of a sudden, a loud click could be heard. "What's that?"

"Run." Hotch told Emily. "Run!" He took her hand and they ran for the door. A remote trigger activated a different bomb, c4, they'd later learn, was hidden by all the structural beams throughout the entire building. Someone, and they obviously knew who, set off the trigger when he realized the first one was never detonated, and the clock was counting down.

Everyone was standing by the door as they came running out, frantically yelling to get back, but there was no time. Just as they were exiting the blast ignited, sending everyone to the floor. The scene was chaotic. Remnants of the building flew in the air, debris fallen next to them as what remained of the building caught fire.

Slowly, carefully, they started to lift their heads off the ground and look around, searching for each other's eyes. Hotch was the first one up. He was bruised, a few scrapes, but nothing major. His ears would definitely be ringing for a few days, old blast injuries and all. He quickly looked beside him. Emily was there, a small cut on her forehead, the arm of her jacket ripped and scraped, but otherwise she seemed ok. "Emily?"

"I'm good, go and check on the others." She instructed him as he took her hand and helped her up.

JJ was fine. Morgan and Rossi too, but when she got to Reid, she immediately asked for an ambulance. The fire crew and all emergency personnel were already on their way, so that was good. "Reid? Talk to me."

"I'm ok."

"No you're not. You're bleeding." She used her jacket to stem the bleeding on his leg. "Did you hit your head?"

"I think we all did. But, really Em, I'm ok."

"You're going to need stitches. We'll see if it's more than that." She said, and waited by his side for the paramedics.

The explosion was only just the beginning. It was about to get a whole lot worse.

First though, they needed to get checked out at the hospital. Everyone was cleared with a little antiseptic on their cuts and quick neuro checks to rule out any concussions, maybe a few stitches amongst them, save for Reid who got hit with some flying glass and required a little more attention. They were keeping him overnight to monitor him since he lost a lot of blood, but he told everyone to head home.

"I'll just be sleeping and you all look like you need sleep too."

"I'll have a guard posted outside just to be safe." With that, they parted.

As Emily approached her house, she could see the dog's head looking out the window, a slight light casting around her. She was almost as excited to see the dog as she was Charlie. Well, she was much more excited about Charlie, but it was late and she wouldn't get any Charlie hugs until morning, so the dog would do. "Why hello Cocoa." Emily greeted the dog as she came in the house, getting on her knees letting the dog bombard her with kisses as she pet the soft fur. "Yes, mama's home." She really did come to love the dog. Cocoa became their guard, always on alert and ready to protect them, barking at strangers that came near the house. "You're a good girl. Let's get you a treat." Cocoa became her bed partner, keeping the other half warm and full with Charlie.

Cocoa followed Emily dutifully, even going to cuddle with her in her bed. Emily liked the company, besides, it was late and Sarah and Charlie were sleeping. As much as she knew the child wouldn't mind, she wasn't going to wake her up just to get a hug, no matter how much she wanted to. At least she didn't tell them she was on her way home in the first place. No disappointment, no expectations, and no worrying about the minor hospital visit. It wouldn't be the last one for any of them.

Charlie was thrilled when she saw her mom there in the morning, even more excited when she learned Reid would be staying with them for the week while he recovered. "He can tell me all the fun stuff he knows!" Yeah, that was why they got on so well. He couldn't bore her. She just ate up all his facts.

The team was given a few days off, told to regroup and then catch the bastard that was taunting them. Enough was enough, Strauss had said. The team planned to come over later that afternoon, after Emily helped Reid settle.

"Mommy said I should make sure you're comfy. Are you comfy?"

"I am very comfy. Thanks Charlie."

"I can read you a story if you want!"

"You don't have to."

"But I can!"

"I know. You're a great reader."

"Mommy also said I shouldn't bother you because you got hurt and need some rest. Am I bothering you? I can be a good doctor. I'll be Dr. Reid's doctor!"

"How about you just be my friend?"

"Oh I can do that too! Will you tell me all the smart stuff you know?"

"Sure. What do you want to know about?"

"Everything!" She said in amazement.

Emily watched the two interact for a while before joining in. If her daughter cold be so fascinated by Reid's endless knowledge, she could definitely support that. Besides, she was a nerd herself.

The team all arrived that afternoon. Charlie and Henry went into the playroom as the adults went over what they had. Now they knew for sure they had the right guy, they just needed to catch him. The bombs that destroyed any possible clues put a damper in the quick capture, but, though they were down, they weren't out.

"Hey Garcia, can you take the photos from my phone and make them bigger?"

"Sure Gumdrop. I can have them up on my laptop in a jiff."

"Great. Before the whole bomb thing, I took a few pictures."

"Wait, wait, wait! Are we going to talk about our crazy Gumdrop here and the bomb fiasco?"

"I think we covered it," Emily quickly said, not wanting one of Garcia's rants. They needed to discuss more important things.

"Fine, but when we're done here, me and you," she motioned between them, "we're having a talk."

"Ok Garcia… Anyway… Maybe the pictures have some clue to his whereabouts."

In the end, they didn't. All the pictures did was make them worry about the end game. It painted a clear picture for them… He wanted pain and a whole lot of gore. He wanted them to suffer. But if they could find him, they could prevent all of that. "We'll keep looking. Garcia can search his family history. Maybe there's some land in there somewhere that he could be hiding out on."

"I'll check that out next. First, I need to have a word with you missy!" She directed her comment to Emily. "A bomb Emily! What were you thinking?!"

"That I should stop it?" Was that the right thing to say?

"Never again! I swear this team is single-handedly making me go gray!"

"Welcome to the club." Emily nudged her playfully.

They didn't hear from the UnSub for the next week or so. They couldn't figure out what he was waiting for. Perfect opportunity? To get them alone? To get them together?

At least, Emily thought, Hotch had been around Charlie from time to time, meeting with both his kids at a safe, secure location, even asking Emily to come. "You were right." He told Emily. "I thought what I was doing was to protect you and Charlie. But it was to protect me, to protect my heart I guess. I should be there to protect you guys. I can't… I can't be around as much, not until I know it's safe, but I can't push you away either. I do love you, and I love my kids. I don't want to lose what we have. I'm just… I'm realizing how close we've come to losing everything… That bomb could've killed us."

"But it didn't."

"Right, which is why, right now, I need to focus on this, on finding him, but the moment he's caught, I'm going to make you mine again. I'm going to make up for all of this." He kissed her, whispering once more that he loved her, and promised that their time was coming. "It's almost over." There was a silent, "Just stick with me. I promise I'll make this all right."

"I'm going to hold you to that." She savored the moment, just standing with him, her body against his, forehead to forehead. "I have to go. The guard is waiting and I need to get Charlie home. Let's do this again soon. It's almost her birthday… her first with you in her life."

"And I'm going to be there for it," he said determinedly, hoping he could also come bearing the gift of closure.

Emily took her little girl home and had some quiet time with Reid. "Hey Reid, can I ask you something?"

"I think you just did."

"Well, may I ask you something else?"

"Go ahead."

"Why do you think he's waiting to make his next move? We all know he's not done. He didn't get what he wanted. But why wait?" They were all profilers, they all had their own theories, but she wanted to know his thinking. "He knows we're hunting him, but he knows he has the one up. Why not make a move?"

"Maybe he needs to wait for his endgame. Maybe there's a timeframe or he's not ready yet."

"I just want this to be over."

"Me too."

Emily, prone to having late night chats with insomniac Reid, scooched closer, hugging him like a sister would her bother. His first night there, Emily came downstairs for some water and found him snacking in the middle of the night. Somehow, they got to talking and Emily apologized for getting him hurt. "I should've just left, ran out of there with you. If we were all away from there, no one – you – wouldn't have been hurt."

"It's not your fault Emily. And I'm glad you stayed. I'm glad you tried. You were doing your job, giving us the best chance. No one could've known there were charges set around the building."

After that, it just became a nightly tradition. The two of them, though strained for a while there, too, would always be there for each other.

"I got Charlie the best birthday present ever."

"What did you get? It's not a science kit, is it? I love you Reid, and I really love my kid, but I don't need my house blowing up. We have enough going on without us being homeless. And I think I'm good on explosions for a while."

"It's not a science kit, or a magic kit. She always has me draw the pictures for her stories. So I got her one of those make your own book sets and had one of the books you and I made with her bound."

"Really? That's so sweet. She's going to love that."

"It was that or taking her horseback riding. She said she loved it when you took her. While statistically improbable, I fear the horse would trample me."

"Aww, little bitty genius is afraid of the pony." She teased him, speaking in a baby voice. "I can teach you to ride. My mother had me in horse shows."

The easy banter went on for a little while, and they had to enjoy it while they could because the day was coming to an end and so was their semi-calm. The storm was approaching and the days were passing by quickly. The 13th arrived before they knew it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be a birthday they'd get to celebrate very much.

"Happy birthday Charlie!" Hotch and Emily woke her up with hugs and kisses.

"I'm six!" She yelled, the sleep still in her voice.

"You're my big Charlie Bear."

"And my little sweetheart." He didn't want her growing up too quickly.

"I'm not little anymore daddy!"

"You'll always be little to me." He hugged her again. "Come on, let's go get some breakfast before everyone comes over." Emily sat her down and explained that they couldn't have a big party this year. Things were just too unsettled and they couldn't add in any other variables and moving targets. She was ok with it. She just wanted to be with mom and dad, Jack and family.

Clyde called during their birthday breakfast to wish Charlie well on her big day. After the birthday girl was properly sated with happiness, birthday wishes, and food too, she handed the phone over to Emily. Unknowingly, he was about to give them the first real clue to help them on their very dark and twisted journey.

Emily went to Hotch once the call was over. "We have our first real lead to his whereabouts." Clyde's team did what Garcia couldn't. Hard to imagine, but true. They took the original lead that didn't pan out, added in the new information, and popped out the private investigator McAndrew used. Jessie Carmichael, a fraudulent idiot of a PI who worked with McAndrew and his partner back in the day. It turned out he was the victims' connection. He dated the "JJ," was accused, and subsequently cleared, of raping the "Emily." He was in the same AA group as the "Reid," was once taught by the "Rossi," went to the same gym as the "Morgan," the "Garcia" was hired to do some computer work for him, and they had yet to receive the Hotch to make any connection, but both teams were looking into it.

It took everything in Hotch not to go run down the lead right then and there. But he couldn't. He messed up a lot in the last few weeks. Adding missing his daughter's birthday to the list wasn't even an option.

The festivities were just getting started when the real crazy began. They were settling down, the kids being pulled inside and off the playground, as presents were set up for Charlie to open. And that was when the phone rang. "I'm so sorry," Hotch said. "It's Strauss. I have to take this. Don't start without me."

Stepping out of the living room, he answered, "Section Chief Strauss, ma'am, what can I do for you?"

"You can come into the office right now."

"Ma'am. It's the weekend, I'm off, and I'm in the middle of something. Is this an emergency? A case?"

"You coming in is the difference between you being fired and you getting suspended."

"What are you talking about ma'am? What's going on?"

"Get to the office right away. And tell Ms. Prentiss to expect to make the trip today too." _Oh god… She knew._

"I'll be in as soon as I can," he said solemnly, hanging up and returning to the gathering. "I need to go soon," he whispered into Emily's ear.

"What? Why?"

"Strauss wants to talk to me. I think it's about us."

"What?!"

"She says you should expect to be called in today too. She wasn't happy."

"Great… And we're going to leave our daughter's birthday celebration for this… Awesome."

"I'm sorry."

"How did she even find out?"

"I don't know, but I'm about to find out."

The party went downhill from there. Once Hotch had to leave, Charlie refused to open her presents or eat cake. She said they could wait for daddy to come back. But Emily knew they couldn't do that. Long before he could attempt a return, she would have to go too. And then what kind of party would it be. So they ended the party early. Reid stayed behind to keep Charlie company while Emily had to face Strauss. That call was unpleasant. She had to wonder how Hotch was fairing.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how it was looked at. The meeting wouldn't happen, not Emily's at least. Emily arrived and looked at Hotch waiting for her in his office. "Do I need to ask how bad it is? Your face is giving off all kinds of worry right now."

"_How long has this been going on?"_

"_Ma'am?" He played the naive card. _

"_You and Agent Prentiss. How long?"_

"_A few months ma'am."_

"_Do you think I'm stupid Aaron?"_

"_No, of course not."_

"_I've always suspected something. You and she are just… a little too close for comfort. But I never suspected you were stupid enough to cross that line."_

"_I don't believe my personal life is any of your concern."_

"_It is when it affects my work!" She glared at him, passing him an envelope that was delivered to her that morning. "I have to wonder about your ability to be professional and lead this team without bias. There are unspoken rules here. Fraternization is frowned upon. And a child Aaron! You have a child with your subordinate. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" He didn't… No matter what he said, the situation was what it was. _

"The UnSub sent her a picture of us kissing, with a copy of the documents we filed naming me as Charlie's father."

"What?! But… what? Why? What does he get out of that?"

"I don't know… I'm trying to figure that out myself."

"Are you ok?"

"Of course, I'm fine. This wasn't how I wanted us to spend Charlie's birthday… but I'm ok."

"That's not what I meant. How much trouble are you in?"

"I don't know yet. She want to speak to you and more to me… She's fact gathering."

"What are we going to do?" Emily internally panicked. "I can leave."

"Leave?"

"The team. I can get another job, switch departments or even teams. I can save her the trouble of firing one of us and leave… Though, logistically, that wouldn't be good for our relationship. Not that I even know if we have a relationship anymore. It's been a little iffy lately. Still, it wouldn't be good for Charlie either or Jack. I just… I don't know. I don't know what to do."

"Emily, slow down," he put his hand on her to stop her pacing and rambling. "Nobody is getting fired. And no one is leaving the team."

"Ok…"

"And we do have a relationship. I feel terrible that you even have to question that. I apologize now and I will every single time you need me to for my behavior lately. But it's almost over. I can feel it." And he had no idea how right he was.

"I don't want this to break us up… us," she motioned between them, "or the team."

"I know. I don't either. Let's not… we're not there yet. We don't know what's going to happen. It's against the rules, but it's not. Fraternization rules were made because of Rossi you know… I'm sure he could talk them into getting rid of them."

"That's only a little funny." She teased.

"I'll take it." He hugged her. "The truth is, there are rules, but there aren't. It's frowned upon, and it's worse because I'm your boss. But it's not a fire-able offense… I guess it could be, but it's not likely… I don't know. Honestly, I never had much need to familiarize myself with that subset of the rules. Even if it was, even if it is… we're worth it. You're worth it. And I'd risk it for you.

"You rule breaker you. Kind of hot."

"Only kind of?"

"I'm all kinds of hot and bothered."

"Better."

"I…" He'd never find out what she was about to say, quickly pulling apart from her as the door opened.

"My office please." Strauss was ready for them… Time to face the music. Dutifully, heads down, thy trailed just behind her as they made their way across the cat walk. They were just thankful it was a Sunday, no one from their floor was there. "Please have a seat." Strauss motioned to the two chairs, situating herself in her raised desk chair. Intimidation tactic… she didn't need it. "I assume you're aware why you're here Agent Prentiss."

"Yes ma'am."

"Well, at least you didn't try to deny it. I have to say… I'm not sure what to make of this. Agent Rossi, I expect this from," they had a dalliance or two… "But you two… You are both many things I don't approve of, but I never added unprofessional to the list."

"Ma'am…"

A knock at the door alerted them to the coming intrusion. Without waiting to be invited in, a larger man entered. "Chief Strauss… Agents," he started, "We've got something downstairs you're all going to want to see."

"We'll be right down Agent Highmore." She gave them a stern look. "This isn't over." Of course not. "Finish this case, keep it professional, and we'll revisit this as soon as it's wrapped up."

An uncomfortable elevator ride later and the three of them met with Agent Highmore. "What is it you wanted us to see?"

"A package arrived for Agent Hotchner's team."

"Ok, let's see it."

"It was a private delivery, dropped off at the desk." The agent explained. "When we put it through security, this showed up…" He handed them an x-ray film.

"Is that…?"

"A head?"

"Someone sent Agent Hotchner's team a head?"

"It would appear so…"

"Open it."

"Excuse me."

"Aaron's right," Emily told Strauss. The older woman really didn't want to see the head. "We need to open it. We need to be sure it's really a head and take it from there. We should call the techs to look for any fingerprints, but I'm sure we know who this is, and then we get the team in here."

Gloves on and the box examined for prints, they took every conceivable precaution while opening the package. It came gift wrapped, a head in a chilled box… The sight set Emily back. Like all the victims, he wasn't an exact replica. He was missing the very Aaron-ness that Emily came to know and love. But, that didn't mean it wasn't jarring. Was that how he felt seeing the Rachel body, seeing her look alike dead? "Why just the head?"

"I think this is why." Hotch held up a note before reading it aloud, "Hope everyone enjoys their presents. Happy birthday to little Charlie. May you all live to see the next… Or not. Consider you all SEVERED. Game on." Hotch shook his head, going over the note once more. "He's taunting us again."

"He said presents," Emily pointed out. "Are there more?"

"This is all that came here."

"Well, he sent Strauss the dossier on us."

"He sent you a head."

"Where's the rest of the body?"

The answer to that would come shortly. Before they even had a chance to make the rest of the calls, to have the team brought in and forensics to start up again, Emily's phone rang. "Mommy, guess what?"

"I don't know, what? What has my little Charlie Bear so excited?"

"A delivery guy came and he had flowers and a present. For me mommy!"

"Oh… really…" Her stomach dropped.

"Can I open it?"

"NO!" She nearly screamed, everyone around her looking at her, Hotch silently asking if everything was ok. "No…"

"But why not?"

"Just… don't open it. Put Sarah on the phone."

"Emily?"

"Sarah, do me a favor. Take Charlie upstairs, tell her to put a few toys and books in a bag. Then, when she's up there, open the door and allow the agents in to come take the package to Quantico. Don't open it ok? Don't even touch it. Let them handle it." Emily gave a few more instructions.

"Ok… what's going on? Is this about the case?"

"Yes. We think that package might be from our guy. Do you understand what I need you to do?"

"Pack her a bag and get her away from here. And don't touch the package. Let the agents handle it."

"Great. Make sure you pack enough for a few days at least and don't forget Jazz. I'm going to text you the address. No one will be home but I'll give you the pass code for the entry gate and everything you need should be there."

"What do I tell Charlie about this sudden trip?"

"Tell her… Tell her it's a birthday surprise and that I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Is everything ok Emily?"

"I don't know… I… I'm ok. I don't want you to worry. It's just… Things are going to start coming to a head and I need to make sure she's safe. I hate to ask this, but can you stay there with her until I can get there? If you can't, I can make other arrangements…"

"Of course Emily. I can do it."

They'd come to find that inside of Charlie's birthday present, wrapped in a gift papered box, was the man's heart, served to her on a platter. Everyone a part of the team would get some piece of him, the head and heart really the only symbolic ones. Even Haley got one, marked for her and Jack. They tried to warn everyone ahead of time to be on alert, to wait at home and hopefully catch the guy in the act. What they got was a handful of paid homeless guys just doing a job for some cash, a collection of body parts, and a worried group of people.

"Aaron! He knows where we live. We had agents watching and it didn't matter."

"The agents were doing their job. They were watching the door. You never came in contact with him. It wasn't even him."

"You have to do something. You need to catch this guy."

"I'm doing everything I can Haley. For now, let's set you up at a safe house."

"I don't want to be in a safe house. I want to be safe in my own home. This is why I hate your job!"

"Haley…" Emily stepped in. "I know you're worried. I'm worried too."

"Emily… How can any of you do this job? You almost died… How can you go through this again?"

"This… this is my job… I… I help people. I make the world a little safer."

"While you and your family are in danger."

"Believe it or not, these kinds of things don't happen as often as they seem around here. But listen… I'm scared too. I'm terrified something could happen to Charlie or any one of us… But we can't let the fear win. I… I have a private security team setting up at my mom's house. It's gated, it's pretty secure, and there are plenty of rooms. Why don't you and Jack head up there? I'm going to extend the offer to the whole team. We can stay there for the remainder of the case."

"Emily…"

It was settled then. Everyone who was there agreed it was the right thing to do. The team had clues to decipher, wrapped up in their complicated chess game of a case. But Will and a team of agents planned to escort Haley and the kids to the Prentiss estate. While they travelled, the team interrogated. The homeless men didn't help much. They confirmed it was McAndrew, but couldn't give any more than that. And they looked into the PI. He was dead, murdered. McAndrew left a note saying it took them long enough and left behind something that didn't quite make sense at the time. It would much later on, but not for the immediate future.

"Well let's look at what we do have."

"A body jigsaw puzzle?" JJ quipped.

"Parts of it anyway."

"Where's the rest of the body?"

"His name is Zack Gilligan," Hotch interrupted. "A match was found in the system."

"He has a record?"

"He worked in the court system. He's a public defender…"

"Did we get an official cause of death?"

"As far as we can tell from the body parts we've received, exsanguination. It looks like some of the limbs were cut off before he died. The head postmortem."

"So he died slowly." In a sense… painfully and slow…

"It looks like it."

"Garcia, can you look at any possible family members who might still be alive or have property and check for any other potential friends." Friends was used loosely.

"Doing so as we speak."

The day was reaching its end, and as much as they wanted to pull an all-nighter and get the case done, they would do no good falling asleep at the wheel trying to catch their guy. "Let's take these files and all head to the Ambassador's. We can work there if we want, but not for too long. If we get anything, we need to be well rested to follow it down tomorrow."

It was nice to have everyone back together again before Charlie's birthday was completely over. "I'm sorry you didn't have a great birthday Charlie."

"But I did."

"You did?"

"Uh huh. You were there and daddy too. Together. And Jack and Henry."

"You're such a great kid, you know that? When this case is over, we'll do something special to make up for working on your birthday."

"Ok."

"I love you Charlie Bear. Goodnight."

"I love you. Night mommy. Night daddy." Emily, unaware Hotch was standing at the door, turned to look at him.

Hotch walked in, leaned over the bed and kissed Charlie's cheek. "Night Charlie. I love you. Happy birthday."

"Love you too." The sleepy girl rolled onto her side, eyes fluttering shut.

The adults went out into the kitchen. It was way passed the kids' bedtime and most of the adults were going to sleep too, but they weren't ready. "So, back to where it all began huh?"

"I don't think it all began in this house," Hotch stated.

"She was conceived here. We found each other here."

"But we met at the old house. And that was when it all began… The minute I laid eyes on the young rebellious daughter."

"That sounds like a bad 'made for TV' movie."

"I'd watch that movie."

"Me too."

"I'm going to catch this guy Emily. And everyone is going to be fine." That was the way it had to work out. Too bad it wouldn't.

"We should get to bed."

"Alright, mind if I join you?"

"As much as I'd love that Hotch. It's just me and the little miss tonight. You can take the room next to mine. This is like being away on a case. We have to remain professional." She kissed his cheek and walked away. Getting to sleep that night was hard for everyone. They all had a lot on their mind. But no one worked as tirelessly as Garcia.

She stayed up all night trying to put this case to bed and allow them all to move on. And she thought she finally found something that just might do that. "I've got something! I've got something!" The tech called in the early hours, rousing all the adults from sleep.

"It better be good if you're waking us up at four in the morning."

"Oh, it is!"

"Ok… tell us… while I make coffee…" Emily said, sluggishly making her way to the coffee maker.

"Yesterday, Hotch and I were talking about his other victims. We know he had the PI do all the leg work. He told him what he was looking for and used the PI to get it along with information on us. But before prison, he did his own work. That's beside the point."

"Then what is the point?"

"The point is that we have his DNA and prints, McAndrew's. And we have new forensic tests and whatnot that we didn't have at the time of his arrest."

"You found a connection?"

"I found a link to him on nearly a dozen different cases, including his mother."

"His mother?"

"Yeah… when we were looking over the pics you took with your phones, I saw something in one of them. It was a crime scene photo. It was old and not much to go on, but I worked my magic and found a similar scene. It was his house, when he was 14. His mother was drowned. They ruled it a suspicious death but never closed the case."

"And you think he did it?"

"Well, I mean… Yeah. Don't you?"

"I think he hurt a lot of people and I wouldn't put it past him. What else do you have?"

"Well, I got a DNA hit and a few print matches from a bunch of other scenes, but one is of particular interest. About four weeks ago, Lisa Cox went missing. Her body was found floating in the Potomac just yesterday."

"There was a forensics match with McAndrew?"

"Yes. But… here's the kicker. I don't think she was meant to be found. Lisa was a bit of a loner. No friends, no family… she just had her business."

"What kind of business?"

"That's the rest of the kicker. I'm getting to it!" Way to beat her to the punch… "It's a flower shop. She's a florist! And in her absence, the shop has still been in use."

"In use how?"

"It's open?"

"Lisa was the owner. She had two employees, both of whom hadn't been in work since the disappearance. The shop has been closed, but her credit cards have been used, deliveries were accepted… Someone's in that shop and there's no one in Lisa's like that could account for the activity."

"It's him."

"Oh my god… Charlie got flowers from him too. With the… With the head… There was a card!"

"What did it say?"

"I never read it. I don't think Sarah did either. I should go to the house and find out."

"Do that on the way to the office. I'm going to alert the guards, let them know we're heading in. Garcia, you get us that address. Everyone else, do what you need to do and get to the office. We're going to grab our gear and head in. We're going to get him. This ends. Today."

They broke apart, eager to get the jump on this guy. There was no time wasted, just a quick stop as everyone raced to Quantico. "Back to the beginning." It was like hearing her own words to Hotch earlier. "Time to choose." That was what the card said. Cryptic. To which beginning? To whom was it being addressed? Choose what? It was a clue though. Firs they had to run down the florist lead.

"Clear."

"Clear."

"Clear."

"I'm clear too. It looks like a bunker back here though. Someone has definitely been staying here."

"I think I have the rest of the body."

"Damn it!" Hotch threw a vase against the wall. "We missed him. We were this close and we missed him."

"I…I have an idea." Emily stopped his pity party.

"What?"

"The card… it said back to the beginning. Maybe he meant back to where this revenge started. We profiled it was the loss of his wife and unborn child that really drove him to do this. Where did they die?"

"A house somewhere in Alexandria."

"So we go there… That's where this started."

"But that could also mean his childhood home. We believe the mother is his first kill… That could be where it all started."

"Maybe this is what he meant by having to choose."

"Let's split up." Little did they know, that was exactly what McAndrew wanted. There was strength in numbers and he wanted to sever that. He wanted them to break apart.

As they were heading out of the shop, Hotch called Garcia to get the two addresses. She promised to send them right away.

"Guys," Emily stopped them as they were about to get in the cars. "I got a call from one of the guards while we were inside. The message said that JJ and I are needed at the house."

"Is something wrong?"

"If it was, I would've gotten a call from Will."

"Maybe the kids are just being fussy… Will had to work today, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

"It didn't sound urgent… But I don't know." She contorted her face. "I just have a weird feeling. I think JJ and I should check it out. The guards don't usually call for no reason."

"Ok… we were going to have to split up anyway. You and JJ go on and head over to the house. Keep in contact with Garcia. Rossi and I will head to the wife's house and Derek and Reid to the old family home. Keep your eyes open and be ready for anything. If his taunts showed us anything, it's that he is capable of many things. So be aware. One way or another… we're finishing this today."

Emily and Hotch shared a look and a silent "be safe, I love you," before parting, Hotch going one way and Emily the other.

JJ and Emily were going to the Ambassador's place. With the UnSub so close, even if there was nothing wrong, they cleared it with Hotch to meet up with Haley and take all the kids back to Quantico. They'd be safe there for the day and then, if they didn't have him, they would find a new safe house. When they arrived, the agent's cars were gone, the house was empty, and it just felt off.

"Something's wrong."

"Where is everybody?"

"The gate's open. The lock looks broken." Emily inspected it, quickly pulling out her gun, JJ following suit.

They made their way inside to more emptiness. It was too quiet, too clean… not like it was wiped down, just free of any kid presence. They called out, never getting an answer. They checked the house and, though it looked like nothing went on there but a normal day, Emily couldn't shake the feeling.

"Look what I found." JJ waved a piece of paper in front of Emily for the brunette to take.

"A note? Why leave a note and not call or text or, better yet, just wait for us to get here?"

"I don't know."

"This is Haley's writing…"

"You know Haley's writing?"

"We've all been spending a lot of time together. So yeah, I know her writing."

"Ok… It says they're at Haley's house. Why?"

"This doesn't feel right."

"No, it doesn't."

"But we have to check it out. If… If something is wrong… the kids aren't here JJ… The rest of the team is too far away."

"I'll call Garcia on the way to the car."

When they arrived at the Hotchner, or was it Brooks, residence, the car belonging to the agents set to guard them was out front. "I don't see anyone in the car."

"We should check it out."

They walked over to the vehicle and saw nothing. Someone was supposed to be outside watching the perimeter at all times. So where were they?

"Should we call the team? Wait for them?"

"We have no time to wait. Something could be wrong and they're in the middle of a raid nearly an hour away. Garcia said she'd send them here right after they get out anyway… You don't have to go in with me… Maybe we're just overreacting."

"Maybe…" But they both had this intuition, and JJ couldn't neglect that. The whole situation had been off since the first message, like they were being baited into a trap. And that was exactly what was happening, and, yet, they had to do it because they didn't know where their kids or Haley were. "I'll take the back. You go around front."

"Alright. Look, this could be nothing, but it could be something. So be careful ok?"

"You too."

They separated and Emily watched JJ head around the back before making her move. She could hear faint sound from behind the front door. Shades were drawn in the windows, but she managed to get a small peek through one of them. She didn't like the glimpse she got either and immediately rushed for the door. Locked, of course, and not wanting to bang the door down, Emily, instead, tried to pick the lock.

As soon as she got in, she had her gun out, ready to aim and fire as she walked through the hallway. A sight caused her to stop cold. "Haley?" Emily asked, her gun still drawn and pointed. "What happened?" She didn't want to approach yet, looking around for whoever did this.

"He said he was an agent. He had a badge… He told me Aaron was dead…" Haley's eyes were pleading with Emily to tell her he was wrong.

"He's not… I just left him. Aaron is fine."

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I think he killed the guards… He has the kids Emily. He has the kids."

"What? Where?" She ran to Haley, ready to untie her from the chair, but Haley was telling her to stop.

"Em… Emily…" She was mumbling and terrified, with right. Then, she just stilled, her eyes focused on something behind the brunette agent.

"Haley?" Before she could ask anymore, she felt the cold metal pressed against her back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." His voice was eerie. "Stand up and turn around or I go out back and put the little kiddies to pasture."

"Where are they? Where's JJ?"

"Blondie's ok… for now. You were the last piece to my puzzle." He smiled, running the head of the gun up and down her spine. "I'm so happy this worked out and you could join us." There was a cackle to his voice. "Buckle up, the ride's just beginning. Time for him to choose, just like I had to."

Next thing Emily knew, she was set up in a chair next to Haley, ropes binding her down, as Patrick dragged an unconscious JJ into the room to add to his collection. He set them up in a row, each one with their hands tied behind their backs, and feet bound to the chair legs.

"You know, this game would've been so much better if I got you all. All of you, tied up in front of him, being tortured one by one until he was begging for death, struck with guilt and hate because he caused the hurt and all he could do was helplessly watch as it happened. And then, once he was begging, then I'd bring him just to the brink, make him think I was going to let him go, but no… He'd have to live with it. I'd bring him close, but keep him alive to live a life knowing what he did, with no one left in his life." He taunted the women. "I had a plan, but plans change. We make due. I can adapt. So this is the new game."

He proceeded to tell them exactly what would be happening, sometimes in much more detail than they would ever need. He taunted them with what could be, how he could hurt them like he had his other victims, and he kept them in line by threatening their kids, their kids who were in that very house, somewhere, but they weren't sure where. And they did ask. All he said was safe – for now…

But the women kept searching, looking for any signs of children. They found none, heard nothing and saw less. In the moment, though the worry for the kids was so strong, they had to keep their heads in that room. That was the immediate danger. If the kids really were there and safe, the best thing they could do was keep him focused on them and to remain very aware.

"Are you guys ready? I am?" He smiled, excited as he slowly reached into Emily's front pocket. "This yours? Think our friend Aaron would be happy to get phone call from you?"

"Go to hell." She wasn't about to cooperate with him. And if he was angry, maybe he would focus whatever came next on her.

"Maybe I will, and I'll take you with me." He ran the edge of the phone roughly against her face. "Could be fun. But first, we have a game to play and a call to make. Let's see how Aaron's doing." He looked through her contacts. "Aww, how sweet, first on the love bird's speed dial. I wonder if you're first on his." He pressed the number and put the phone to his ear. "Probably not, but who really cares?" He stood there, menacingly hovering over them as he waited for an answer.

"Emily?!" Hotch was so happy to hear from her. They had been calling both women nonstop as soon as they got out of the raids.

"Guess again."

"Who is this?" He hissed.

"Aw, I'm offended. Don't you recognize me? How many people do you actually have hunting you down like the scum you are?"

"McAndrew."

"Ding. We have a winner. A round of applause from the peanut gallery?" He turned to the women. "Guess they don't think you deserve it."

"Where's Emily? Where are JJ and Haley?" He didn't even know to ask about the kids. The details they all had about the situation were scarce. The phone call between JJ and Garcia was limited.

"You don't get to ask the questions here."

"Just tell me they're ok."

"They won't be if you don't start doing what I say."

"You need to let them go."

"Which them? The women or the kids?"

Hotch felt the momentary panic, desperate to control the emotions. "You need to let them all go. Your problem is with me. Deal with me."

"There you go with the demands again. I'm not liking it Aaron. Not at all. So let's try this again. Ready to play my game? The rules have changed. I'll give you thirty minutes to make your decision."

"My decision?"

"Time to choose Aaron. First love. New love. Trusted friend. Who dies first? Make a choice, and maybe you get to one of them in time. Maybe not, we'll have to see what kind of mood I'm in then."

"Patrick, I swear to god, if you hurt any of them, if you so much as touch a hair on those kids' heads… I will end you." Rossi watched sadly as Hotch sped up.

"Tick tock Aaron. I had to choose, my freedom or my wife… Because of you, I lost both. Who's it going to be?"

"You can't make me choose."

"Then I choose for you. Maybe I'll start with the kids… Hmmm, but first… I'll be nice. I'll give you something you never gave me. Time to say your goodbyes ladies. We have a game to play." As he put the phone on speaker, he told them, "Be sure to let him no it's his fault. Your deaths are on him."

They all got their chance, but Haley… It was like she knew what would happen. "I need you to promise me Aaron… if anything happens… I need you to make me a promise."

"Anything Haley."

"Promise me you'll tell him how we met. And how you used to make me laugh. He needs to know there are other sides to you. He needs to know you're not so serious all the time. Make sure Jack knows what love is… that he knows all sides of you, not just the serious Hotch, but Aaron… the man I fell in love with. You need to show him what love means, what good things life brings… Fix things… fix things with Emily and be there for both your kids. They need you. They need you even more after this."

"Haley, be strong. Show no weakness…"

"Clock's ticking. Wrap it up," McAndrew urged, truly eager for the coming moment.

Hotch was minutes away from the house, the 30 minute clock just a minute or two from expiring, as he continued to listen to Haley's speech, tears running down his face. Each woman had their turn, but it would soon be over. All he could hear was the sudden silence over the line, a click… And then bang… bang… Bang!

It was a bloody scene they walked away from, those who did. The ambulance drove off with one of their agents, another refusing to be looked at, the rest crowding around to keep the kids from seeing the evil around them, to keep them away as the coroner came for… for the body.

Hotch stood there, the flashing lights like strobes to his eyes and sirens hitting his senses like the blaring alarms of a hospital monitor. How did it come to this? How did they end up there? Instinctually, he reached for the ring still sat in his pocket… a reminder of what he was fighting for… And now, maybe also what he lost. Haley was dead. His once love was dead. He couldn't bear the thought of that ever happening to Emily. How could they do this job? How could they lose each other and still survive all of this? Was it worth it?

How did they move on from this? What came next?

**Not quite the way I wanted this chapter to come out, but it works. Some of the who, what, when, and why was revealed. Details of what actually happened and who was hurt besides Haley will be added next chapter as we deal with the aftermath. I was going to redo the Reaper storyline, but I didn't want to write the Foyet character so I did what I could. Those of you who thought I'd kill a tea member, I'm shocked. Ok, I'm not because I could do that, but I wouldn't. Though I neglect to write a whole lot of them often, it doesn't mean I want to kill them off. Come on now. **

**Sorry for any grammatical errors. Thank you everyone who has added this story to alerts or favorites and to those of you who have given feedback. Opinions are much appreciated; feedback, input, whatever. Constructive criticism also welcomed. I hope you enjoy. Until next time…**

**sourgmmycandy** No apologies needed. I appreciate each and every review, read or follow, however and whenever they come. So thanks for taking the time to write me now. And just an overall thank you so much. I wish I had a book. I'll work on it. Bestseller huh? Well, maybe not, but it's a nice thought. I'm so glad you're enjoying the sequel. Minus the case, the happy things coming up were how I saw _Untold_ ending, but I felt a continuing saga did it more justice. And trust me, I have plans. Big plans! Good plans!

**Maxi** Dirty! I know. The office… well they just couldn't control themselves. Originally, the pan was an elevator, but there are cameras there. Hope there are none in Strauss' office! :o The thing about them being apart is that they always find their way back… it usually ends in bed with them too lol.

**WriterM19** That sounds about right. They separate and come together (pun intended) in an explosive kind of good way. The UnSub is a very sick man. That's for sure. And he left them with some wreckage to sift through and us to explore.

**D**I like that. Dirty dogs or cats! Good one. Sorry to get the adrenaline pumping, but after this chapter you'll have a good outline of what went down. Thanks for reading! Enjoy.

**sarahb2007** Up, down, all around, so we hit all the high notes? Well, that's what I aim for. Hopefully that's a good thing for you. I like to play with emotions. Did it lave something behind? Hmmm, that's a thought. We shall find out in the next few chapters maybe?

**Lilly** I cant forget about Clyde. I love him, and he's still a part of this story no matter what happens. He has a place as Emily's really good friend and confidant. There are things he knows about her that no one else does because he was there and they went through things together. He's not going anywhere. And he leads to sec times, yes :)

**KD** Drama's my middle name! Ok, so it's not. But I bring the drama, for sure. The UnSub is crazy. I don't think there needs to be another word. All will be revealed in this chapter and the next (well, most, not all).

**FanGirl513**They were together, and I think it's ok to yay. I did a little and I wrote it. It would've been better if he stayed, but well, he didn't. Jerk! Lol At least they had some… personal time together. I'm glad you trust the writing, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Things will work out.

**Jessa** Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like the story. Thanks for reading and enjoy the new chapter.

**Frizz-B Girl** Thank you! The majority of the case is over as we work our way into the aftermath and healing. Then, hopefully, the lighter fun stuff can start adding up. I love how people are responding to the Emily and Haley friendship. I didn't want them to have a bad relationship. They were important parts of each other's lives and they were permanently tethered because of Hotch and the kids. So why hate? I also like being the outlier. I didn't want to do what everyone else has doe, and definitely not the same way. Glad you like it.

**Sam 'Dimples' Swarek** That makes me happy to hear! Thank you. Emily or Charlie? What, no never… That would kill the story. And I couldn't write Charlie dying off. I've come to love her too much, plus I write her like I was as a kid and how my mini-me niece is now… it would be like killing myself lol. Nice guesses. People assumed the death was a team member, but I never said it was. I even gave a clue a few times in _Untold. _Enjoy the chapter.

**rmpcmfan**Garcia is a genius! They all have their strengths. And yes, they needed that release and Hotch needs to get over his jealousy thing. In some ways he has but, not completely. It's the situation that's bringing it back up. I was going to make Clyde this big hero this time around, but it didn't quite fit. Look for him in the future.


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